Album Review: Denigrate - Hollowpoint - 2015

Genre: Gothic Metal/Dark Metal

County: Finland

Year: 2015

Tracklist:

1. Engraved and Hellbound
2. Am I Facing Hell
3. Erased Pagesl
4. Death Reflection 

5. My Corrupted Sou
6. Liar 

7. Taken Away
8. Into Demise
9. Meitä ei enää ole

Twelve years have passed since Denigrate released its first and, up to now, only studio album. At the time when “Dismal Euphoria” was released, in 2003, bands like Sentence, HIM, Charon and To/Die/For were a lot more popular than they are today. They were part of a today decayed Gothic Metal subgenre, and of a special time in the music history. One of those bands was Denigrate, a Finnish musical group that managed to stand out briefly thanks to its first album. Their musical style was clearly influenced by those bands, mostly by Sentenced, but they also managed to innovate. “Dismal Euphoria” was, and still is, an outstanding work that every metal fan should listen to. That’s why, “Hollowpoint”, is surely one of the most expected albums for those who had the good luck to listen to that first album many years ago.

For those ones who were eager to listen to a new release from Denigrate, there is good and bad news. The good one is that this is a good album, with plenty of new and interesting ideas; the bad one is that, sometimes, it moves far away from that old Gothic Metal style we were talking about, what may be a serious letdown to some people. Either way, it's hard to say if this is, or is not, a better compilation than "Dismal Euphoria". Both albums differ in style, sometimes so substantially that it may be hard to see them as part of a same band's discography. It's safer to say that this is a unique release, and then it can't be successful compared with any other.

The occasional use of harsh vocals, Doom/Dark-Metal-like tunes, and different musical styles make of this release an entertaining, interesting and original one. Because of the many different styles it contains, this work can surely please a wide array of metal and pop listeners. The absence of heavy riffs may however be a serious drawback to some metal heads, specially for those who enjoyed songs like "Exit The Lake Suicide" or "The Romance". For the most part, the strength shown in the first album is gone but, in its place, Denigrate has put original melodies. For example, in songs like “Meitä Ei Enää Ole”, the band's link with Rapture (a Finnish Dark/Gothic Metal band) is obvious.

Throughout just nine songs Denigrate succeeds in delivering a nice amount of different and strong experiences. There is no need of 9+ pieces if they're shit. If you remember albums like "Ride The Lightning", you know that 8 songs may suffice if they are good enough. Still, the album length is acceptable, it plays for 47:05, which is in the average. It's composed only by full length songs (no intro or whatsoever) but serving some of them as pace changers. The opening, middle and closing tracks are the right ones to form what you may see as a sine wave.

We were quite impressed by the overall album structure since it delivers a great sense of progression. From the first to the last track, the band draws a path downwards a dark atmosphere, what one can easily perceive through the increasingly often use of darker tunes and harsh vocals. Within that path, every song feels different from the other, having each one distinctive elements like tempo, riffs, vocals and even musical style. It's refreshing to find this kind of release where one can actually identify each track not only by its lyrics. Every piece feels unique up to the point where one could think this is VA compilation. Let’s talk a little about them.

The first track is a good one but it also doesn't feel like a Denigrate's song. It retains most of the old gothic metal style we were talking about earlier, but it ditches most of the band own style. It was the only single release ahead of the album, and a good choice for that thanks to its neutral style (somewhere between the Pop and Metal worlds). Compared to the others, this is the album's most genetic track. The second song replicates those two styles but innovating at some point. It could have perfectly be part of "Dismal Euphoria". This is a great song that will surely please old fans and new comers alike.

The next song "Erased Pages", not only has a different vocalist but also it includes some harsh vocals for the first time in the band's history. We didn't like the guest singer clean vocals but the harsh vocals are awesome. The band's link with Rapture starts to show up.

The next track marks the end of the album's first part with one of the most boring composition the band has ever shown. It could be paralleled with "Guardian (Of The Bitter Sea)" from the previous album, as they share similar tunes, album place and rhythm. 

"My Corrupted Soul" is right at the middle of this compilation and marks a new peak in it. At this point, one can start to see the album structure as a sine wave where the opening, middle and closing tracks form peaks and, songs like the previous and the following one ("Liar"), valleys. This sine form works very well here, marking, along with the different composition styles, good pace changes and preventing the listener to get bored or lost while listening to the album.

"Taken Away" is one of our favorites pieces. It feels like a mix of Gothic, Doom and Dark Metal that will surely blow your mind away. With this song and the album's last one, "Meitä Ei Enää Ole", Denigrate gets very into Dark Metal. Yes, they are very different from the band's gothic metal style, but they are also some of the band's best songs ever released. "Meitä Ei Enää Ole" is a great closing-track.

The audio is maybe the lowest point in this album. It's not the worst we've heard, for sure, but it's not to be praised either. The loudness is ok, and there is a decent separation between instruments. However, there is almost no contrast, making the audio feel rather bland. It's a step down from the crispier and pounding sound of "Dismal Euphoria".

In sum, Denigrate's return is more than welcome. The band blends different musical styles throughout the album and into each song, resulting in a varied, consistent and appealing compilation. From the bright tunes of the first song, to the dark and melancholic melodies of the last one, this work is awesome. We truly hope this work reaches a lot of people and we would love to hear more from this reborn band. They have done an outstanding job this far, and it seems there is more to them to delight the world. These twelve years have not passed in vain.

Rating: 8/10