As if being instrumental in establishing Gojira stateside wasn't enough for their European goodwill; Prosthetic Records' due diligence to the French progressive metal scene seems to continue unabated. Now handling the North American release of Hollow Corp.'s "Cloister Of Radiance", an album which originally landed in stores overseas late last year; the label have yet another effort to their credit which crushes the standard conventions of experimental metal with sheer weight alone.

While Hollow Corp. clearly hail from the Neurosis/Mastodon school of thought, they cleverly avoid sounding like mere facsimiles. Sure their sound if often massive and intrinsically aggressive. But there's such a depth to it that the group serve as a proverbial light guiding the listener through the cavernous depths. While darker and doomier than expected, a steady focus is maintained and the listener is rarely saddled entirely with tiresome drone.

This is due to the band favoring erupting into an inferno of rage or pairing driving aggression with overbearing melodies; creating an intoxicating dynamic that keeps the listener not only entertained - but obedient as well. Perhaps that's the most inspiring thing about this release. There's such a perceptible maturity in place that the bands commanding performance, which admittedly does touch on some death metal traits, maintains order and rarely steps out of line. Sure that means there's some long marches here and there, but a little mental exercise doesn't hurt when the rewards are this great.