Indie champion and lifelong contender for the best rock and metal vocalist (and lyricist) of the scene – 3mind Blight’s latest release Hollow maintains these connections to the alternative metal realm, but also weaves in a surprisingly mellow, bass-heavy production and vibe, for something that feels infectiously emotional as it rolls along.
3mind Blight’s vocal versatility is always defiant yet distinct, and Hollow celebrates that quality, though it’s not really a celebration at all – more a naturally meandering journey, through the highs and lows of this deeply personal outpouring of struggle and lostness.
Hollow begins with its title idea, the line ‘I’m so hollow, don’t follow me down inside’ piercing through the airwaves, alongside an electric-guitar riff as haunting and dark as the trap rhythm and bass-line supporting it.
Mike’s voice intertwines the volume and grit of metal with the softness and melodic longing of his more intimate works, and the result is a sound that feels authentically in tune with the emotions that bred it.
The production has been on point for the past dozen releases from 3mind Blight, this fusion of professionalism and creativity forever raising the bar for independent metal and hard rock. Mike’s vocals remain some of the most distinct from across the music world at large, and the sound-design underneath this is now reaching uniquely contemporary and classic blends of appeal, which back them up with hypnotic depth and style.
Emerging as another late-night poem of self-scorn and desperation, Hollow acts as both a personal outcry and a well-timed ode to the Halloween season. The artwork is superb, the detail and colour contrast reinforcing the track’s face-value in an instant, and the subsequent meeting of this simple or emotionally exhausted melody and bass-beat presentation makes for an ultimately enchanting and thought-provoking listen – one that will likely get you feeling an eerie sense of connection to this idea of being Hollow.
Download or stream Hollow. Find all things 3mind Blight.
