Wacken Metal Battle Canada 2014: who are the final combatants?
My Hollow
Who are you and where are you from?
On guitars we have Greg Gallagher from Leamington, Ontario and Lenny Chiasson from Etobicoke, Ontario. On bass we got Sean De Faria from Mississauga, Ontario. Banging the drums is Angelo Giammattolo from Bolton, Ontario and on the mic we got Graham Gaudreault from Cranbrook, BC.
My Hollow
What’s your niche?
Overall with all the sub genres these days under the umbrella of metal, we placed ourselves in the progressive-groove metal pile. We make efforts of working on ways to stand out from other bands to make people remember us at the end of the night and the following day via stage presence with unforgettable choreographed action coupled with our distinctive sound.
Why metal? What’s your favourite thing about the genre, the scene, the culture?
We feel that this genre of music is on par with what we enjoy and listen to ourselves so it’s the greatest thing for us to create music that speaks from where our hearts are. There’s no replacing the crowds that are attracted to this music and how it makes people react and there’s no better feeling than seeing a packed house go nuts and feed off their energy!
Who or what inspires you?
Luckily for us, we had the pleasure of playing with a lot of great bands who are signed and have completely got their stuff together, which in turn gave us the drive to improve ourselves all across the board. We have those experiences to thank for a lot that we have learned since playing shows with those acts and we will continue to learn and grow as a unit.
#1 motivation for competing in Wacken Metal Battle Canada?
We have to say a major pull factor to this competition was the magnitude of it being Canadian wide and the attention that this battle draws. After hearing about how well it went last year there was no doubt that we had to enter and try our hand in this epic event which holds potentially “the greatest” grand prize of any competition near its category.
Highlight of this year’s competition so far (besides getting to the finals)?
There’s many aspects of the greatness that comes with being a part of this battle and can’t be narrowed to one highlight so far for us. We have gained a ton of exposure from playing with these other bands and at these shows hosted by this tournament. You simply can’t pay for what a band can gain from all of this. From interviews to blogs to professional photos to new fans and being judged and moving on to the finals, this entire competition has been a major advantage for us a band. We are honored to be a part of this battle and to make it to the finals and hopefully we can represent our amazing country in Germany. We thank everyone involved and look forward to rockin with you’s in the future!
Best place to check out samples of your music?
All samples, downloads and links can be found on our website www.myhollow.ca.
— Angelo Giammattolo
