Hollowman (Full Dynamic Range Edition)

Album review

After coming off the successful Gods of Grind tour in 1992 and seeing bassist Johnny Dordevic return to the band, the Swedish heavy metal band Entombed decided to release a six-song EP as their major-label debut (on Earache/Columbia). When the Hollowman EP appeared in 1993, it was shocking just how much the band's songwriting and overall sound had improved. The songs remained brutally heavy, but there was also a fresh originality now present. The EP contains a total of six tracks and is a mandatory purchase for Entombed fanatics, since four of them are exclusive non-album tracks. Highlights include an instrumental version of the classic Entombed song "Wolverine Blues" (it would become the title track of the band's next full-length album), the fast and furious "Bonehouse," and another instrumental, the Black Sabbath-like dirge "Hellraiser." Both of the instrumentals use spoken word dialogue to great effect, while showing off Entombed's talents as musicians in the process.

© Greg Prato /TiVo