HOLLOW WATER – Rainbow’s End (2016)
“Rainbow’s End” is a the new 12 track concept album by HOLLOW WATER, the Aberystwyth, Wales band made up of Huw Roberts (guitars) and Alan Cookson (keyboards). For the first time Hollow Water have brought in a vocalist in Mark Lock, who has co-songs written most the songs.
Cookson says; “Having a singer on board completely changes everything. Mark loves multi-layered harmonies and this elevates the music to a different level”. Other changes that that have been introduced on the new project, includes the use of various session musicians such as the legendary Jair-Rohm Parker-Wells on bass and Siros Vaziri of the metal band Billion Dollar Man on drums.
“Rainbow’s End” takes on a bunch of different genres and mashes them all together to form something completely fresh and new. There are elements of hard rock, blues, electronica, and progressive thrown into the mix.
There’s a story / concept of the pursuit of “the rainbows beam that always stays in one place”, with the promise of accessing another dimension. But you can enjoy the songs ramdomly with ease.
What startles most on listening to this album initially is the full bodied nature of the music, padded out from some of the duo’s previous work and musically more expansive as a result.
The opener “Day In Day Out” sets the concept up with some TV viewing samples and street noises building up into a full on guitar show off song putting the talent right out in the open for all to hear.
Next “Mirror’s Frame” sounds like a ’70s heavy rock jam with Jon Lord-esque keys before saxophones are added to the mix, highlighting the range of instrumentation across the record. The keyboard work from Cookson evokes a real sense of pursuit throughout the album, driving the storytelling, and whilst “Rainbows Begin” is another indulgent and excessive track by modern standards the musicianship is impressive, with the band sounding tight and cohesive.
On “Trick Of The Light” multiple genres come together to really keep you guessing where the song will go. There is a faster-paced classic rock style on “Solar Beacon” where energy and power explode from the speakers.
We have a vibrant, frantic and delicious piece on “Immortal Portal”, and then the album closes with “We Changed. The World Didn’t”. This one is perhaps the most commercial friendly as the vocals lead the way along with some impressive harmonies. The massive guitars are there to reminding everyone that the skills and talent of Hollow Water are tremendous.
The band that Hollow Water has assembled for “Rainbow’s End” is really tight, and in the faster numbers you can appreciate how well the performers mesh together resulting in a very pleasant listen.
Huw Roberts’ guitar are one of the pillars via some extremely creative six-string work. His smooth transitions and intense biting tones are the perfect complement to the tight arrangements.
Add to that the talents of keyboardist Alan Cookson who sculpts some of the most sumptuous soundscapes and you have a recipe for the absolute destruction of the conception that rock music is simplistic or just ear candy.
01 – Day In Day Out
02 – Mirror’s Frame
03 – Rainbow’s Begin
04 – Gathering Sunbeams For The Future
05 – The Quantum Mechanic And The Map Collector
06 – Rainbow’s End
07 – Trick Of The Light
08 – Immortal Portal
09 – Solar Beacon
10 – The Light Dimension
11 – Illusions & Delusions
12 – We Changed. This World Didn’t.
Guitars: Huw Roberts
Keyboards, Synths, Mellotron: Alan Cookson
Lead Vocals: Mark Lock
Bass: Jair-Rohm Parker Wells, Damjan Kapor
Drums: Siros Vaziri
Guitar: Matt Quistorf, Federico aka Mrfedmusic
Saxophone: Nate Madsen, Ilia Skibinsky
Voice talent: Velvet Jones, PG Bailey, Tarnia Jones & Darren Deans
BUY IT !
www.amazon.co.uk/Rainbows-End-Hollow-Water/dp/B01LZTMGX1
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