Scarlet Hollow

What If Never Was

Wow! What an epic introduction to this 10-track album is ‘The Path’ – 7 minutes of genius! After one song, you know to expect a very professionally organised production but, even with all its magnificence, it is still just a tip of the iceberg. This progressive rock quartet pour out a brilliantly produced metal record serenaded by the melodic lead songstress, Allison von Buelow. 

There is something distinctively dark and yet powerfully moving about the delivery of each track. Still, these songs never incite depressive feelings; they’re actually still quite evocatively uplifting and make for easy listening. 

There are peaks and troughs in each song; the troughs are usually dominated by moody electronic synthesis common of the genre in the 70s. When they occur, von Buelow puts the mic down and allows for the listener to just take in the beauty of the arrangements and eclectic sounds you’re being surrounded by. It’s a fantastic blend – lyrics at just the right moments, but, overall, Scarlet Hollow are about instrumentality and the way that music can recite a thousand words. 

The songs are lengthy but well worth listening to in their entirety. Von Buelow explains that “it’s [the album] 10 individual songs that completely stand on their own…” Before even reading this news release, I had established the differences in the songs as if listening to songs with similar concepts but dissimilar sound styles. No two songs are identical – you’re never quite 100% sure what to expect from the next only that you will be in for another heavy ride. 

From the insanely artistic cover art that pretty much sums up the atmosphere around the record, this is easily an enjoyable and thought-provoking venture by the 4-piece from Ventura, CA.