Tear a Hole in the Collective Vision is a welcome return from The Unravelling, an Industrial Metal group from Calgary. After lead vocalist Steve Moore was diagnosed with cancer, the band was put on hiatus for a few years, but following his recent recovery they are back with their follow up to 2010’s 13 Arcane Hymns. The Unravelling sound more alive and focused than ever, with undoubtedly a new sense of purpose, and Tear a Hole is a fantastic reunion.
Songs like “Lucky Me” call to mind the heavier moments of bands like Tool, while the synths on songs like “The Fearless Seed” and “Enough is Enough” are reminiscent of Nine Inch Nails. The album itself is supposed to be a conceptual record of sorts; its general theme described by the band as “complete psychological freedom,” and the boundless determinism and energy certainly suggest this to be true. From the leaking screams and shouts of the opening track, “The Hydra’s Heart,” the band seems dead set on moving forward at any cost, even if they have to crawl there inch by inch.
Tear a Hole in the Collective Vision may have been released as an unexpected surprise on August 7th, but you don’t want to let this one sneak by.
