Album Review: A Hole Inside – The Face Of Ignorance

Being one of the most over-populated and simplistic genres, it takes a lot to find a decent metalcore band. A quick browse through MySpace reveals reams of look- and sound-alike bands, content to stick rigidly to the confines of a genre that is swiftly becoming the hair metal of the new millennium.

Sweden’s A Hole Inside differ very little from their peers, offering the simplistic down-tuned riffs and thudding double-pedal that you’d expect from a modern metalcore band. “I Don’t Have My Life As A Job”, the opening track of their latest EP “The Face Of Ignorance” (available for free download from their MySpace) opens with a riff that feels ripped straight from a Killswitch Engage b-side. So far, so generic. However, the vocals are where this band fall down, and they fall far. Seemingly attempting to take influence from the rawer style of fellow Swedes Refused, vocalist Marcus Carlzon unfortunately ends up sounding out of breath and strained, which loses any power they may have been hoping to achieve.