Hailing from Britain, melodic metalcore outfit OUR HOLLOW, OUR HOME have returned to unleash their second full length effort unto the world, "In Moment // In Memory." Often associated with acts like fellow Brits ARCHITECTS and WHILE SHE SLEEPS, OUR HOLLOW, OUR HOME are bringing a fairly standard variety of softer metalcore, drawing heavily from their influences. The lyrics in particular are HIGHLY reminiscent of ARCHITECTS, almost to a fault at times, but overall they keep it within their own realm of originality.

There is a decent amount of breakdowns and heavy moments on this album, and the harsh vocals are a highlight of their sound. However we do also get MANY melodic moments driven by clean vocals, particularly in the choruses, and that is for me where it starts to break down into a more cookie cutter type work. Both in terms of the melodies and the song structures, it's the typical "forced" type of melodic moments. The transitions from heavy to soft don't feel natural, it's obligatory. I have the exact same criticism of WHILE SHE SLEEPS, so at least they've done a good job drawing from bands they no doubt look up to. To be fair, this is a personal preference, as I know many people (somehow) still enjoy the formulaic heavy verse, soft chorus template. To each their own.

The strongest part of the album is without a doubt the production. As a self-released effort, they really brought their A Game to the production. Usually with independent releases, we can expect relatively shit production. Usually with lots of love and genuinely to the level of a band's capability, but still ultimately shit. Not with OUR HOLLOW, OUR HOME. They pull off a sound that sounds like a label backed band, so huge kudos to them. I'm not sure if their goal is to get signed, or if this is a "disrupt the industry" type situation, but I can only imagine their sound paired with a label would be hugely successful.

And while I criticize them for being somewhat unoriginal and cookie-cutter, that's about as far as the criticism extends. Along with the high quality production value, the musicianship is outstanding, and vocalist Connor Hallisey is INCREDIBLE, particular with his harsh vocals. I would have loved to hear even more harsh vocals and breakdowns from them, as that is where their creativity and unique abilities really shine.

Choice tracks for me included "Love Loss," one of their more unique and original sounding tracks, and "Divisions," a more technical piece that was melodic and heavy in a way that was reminiscent of AUGUST BURNS RED. I also greatly enjoyed "Father & Ghost" later in the album, as well as closer "In Memory". Those were two of the heaviest tracks on the album, with some of my favorite and most unique breakdowns. They served well to break up the melodic moments, which overall dominate the album. The album definitely runs a bit too long, coming in at 15 tracks. There are some shorter filler/interlude type tracks that really take up space, including track 4 "Anger" which is :55 seconds of just heavy, but also fairly unimaginative and boring. Forcing album length is a tough thing, and a lot of bands do it. I think it would have served them well to cut out some shorter cheaper tracks, and add a few heavier moments to softer tracks to help keep the album moving.

All in all, it's a decent album of British-core from a somewhat newer band. If you are steadfast in love with the style and cherish any band putting out music like this, this will be an album you can greatly enjoy. Otherwise for the average fan, it's a fairly routine effort that doesn't do much to elevate the band or style beyond what you would expect from this style. Still, OUR HOLLOW, OUR HOME is worth keeping an eye on, as they've built a platform upon which they call thrust themselves into widespread success, and they certainly have the talent to do it, provided they can take that next big leap.