Nathan Holly – The Suffering & The Dreamer
By Jason Jordan
The Suffering
Self-Released – 2003
One-man band
Nathan Holly hails from Wisconsin, and
The Suffering is his 31-minute debut of
Agalloch-like doom. In fact, “Endgame” is very similar to the softer side of the influential, Oregonian unit. Holly’s pipes parallel Haughm’s, too, but the everyman vocals are easily the weakest component of his repertoire. Though his vocal performance simply suffices, his guitar playing, drum programming, and overall songwriting excels. The leads near the end of “Desolate” are great, and even if the composition isn’t exactly utilitarian, there’s no self-indulgence to be found in this earnest piece of work. Warranting comparison to
Agalloch yet again on “Am I Dreaming,” Holly briefly experiments more heavily with distortion and scattered growls, which adds some differentiation to an otherwise predictable approach. In short, it’s a nice addition. “In Death…” and “I Am Alone” are dark, tasteful numbers that bring the 6-track album to a close.
The Dreamer
Self-Released – 2007
One should note that the production has improved from what it was on
The Suffering, though both albums are far from shoddy in said department. As a matter of fact, there’s no distinguishable difference between a home studio and professional studio in the case of
Nathan Holly’s work. It’s also apparent that
The Dreamer is tangible evidence of a boost of confidence for Holly, and opener “The Sleeper” displays a firm grip on songwriting as the tune has more depth than any of its predecessors – the use of piano/keyboards being an especially nice touch. Still, Holly would surely benefit from vocal lessons, even if the vocals are satisfactory here. In true
Antimatter acoustic doom fashion, however, the remainder of
The Dreamer plays out much like
Planetary Confinement, mood-wise, in the dark “Wait for Me,” melancholy “Awake,” and optimistic “Farewell.” Gone completely is the distortion and growling, which is actually positive in this case since the acoustic theme works incredibly well. Following the full, 6-track recording is “a stripped down acoustic version,” to use his words, that is only available on the CD – as opposed to free download on his site. Similar to
The Suffering, this one also features Holly’s hand-drawn artwork, and in communicating with him in order to set up these reviews, it’s noticeable that he cares for his art a great deal, which shows in every respect.
Between the two, I must admit that
Dreamer is superior to
Suffering in nearly every way, and that’s the one I’d actually recommend. So if you adore
Antimatter’s
Planetary Confinement and would like something in the same vein – minus strings and female vocals – then check out the former. Or, if you’ve got a spare $10 lying around, you can pick both of ‘em up. In any case, there’s pleasure to be gleaned from each, but his sophomore installment does trump his debut for what it’s worth.
Official Nathan Holly Website
