With “Hollow”, Beauty In Chaos once again demonstrates their strange, yet impressive ability to blur genre boundaries and emotional dimensions. Reimagined for their ambitious 29-track opus “Signs In The Heavens Reality Upside Down”, this hauntingly evocative version, featuring the ethereal vocals of Cynthia Isabella (of Silence in the Snow), is a perfect example of atmosphere, sonic depth and artistic reinvention. Originally appearing on “Dancing With Angels”, “Hollow” now emerges with renewed vigor and a compelling shoegaze finesse. Producer and mastermind Michael Ciravolo, alongside longtime collaborator Michael Rozon (bass), has stripped the track to its vocal essence and rebuilt it with fuzz and reverb-drenched guitar layers, shimmering textures and a moody, celestial gothic grandeur that evokes the spectral beauty of My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive, Depeche Mode and Cocteau Twins. Cynthia Isabella’s vocals are nothing short of spellbinding. Her voice floats like mist across the instrumentation—delicate, haunting and emotionally resonant. She sings with a singular clarity that both contrasts and complements the dense sonic fog that surrounds her. There’s a deeply introspective quality to her performance, one that taps into the track’s themes of emptiness and longing without ever feeling overwrought and tiring. “Hollow” stands as a luminous highlight within Beauty In Chaos’ ever-evolving discography. It’s a brilliant case of a song, which is recontextualized and reborn through vision, emotion and the synergy of kindred spirits. In this exciting incarnation, “Hollow” is anything but empty—it’s overflowing with beauty, tension and transcendence.
♦ 8/10
Dimitris Zacharopoulos
