"The Hollow"

"The Hollow"
Art by Nathan Spoor
Appears on	The Afterman: Ascension
Released	October 9, 2012
Recorded	2011–2012
Genre(s)	Instrumental
Length	2:08
Label(s)	Everything Evil
Songwriter(s)	Claudio Sanchez
Producer(s)	Coheed and Cambria • Michael Birnbaum • Chris Bittner
Mastering	Howie Weinberg & Dan Gerbang
Album Tracks
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Next	"Key Entity Extraction I: Domino the Destitute"

"The Hollow" is a song by the American rock band Coheed and Cambria. It is the first track on their 2012 album The Afterman: Ascension.

Lyrics

[Spoken]
Sirius Amory: "All Mother, are you awake?"
All Mother: "I am always awake. What do you require of me?"
Amory: "You'll stay with me won't you?"
All Mother: "I'll be there every step of the way."

Story Context

Though the track is instrumental, it is heavily steeped in story. For starters, the title refers to the nickname Amory gives to the fog that tends to accumulate in the bottom portion of his aircraft.

Though not explicitly used in the book, the spoken lines in the track are referenced in the book when it is written "the All Mother's voice in his ear" at the end of the chapter.

The entire chapter sets our stage: Amory is in his ship near the Keywork and is gearing up preparing for the biggest experiment of his career. The fog of his ship presents an ethereal and mystical setting to begin his journey. Nervous, he calls out for the main frame for some reassurance, and then steps out and into the Keywork.

Background

Sanchez says that the inspiration for this track starting with a single line of music. As he was playing with it on a piano, Eppard came into the room and started playing with him. Sanchez had a light bulb moment thinking that he could "bring the new and the old together" in the same way they'd done for "Keeping the Blade". They transposed the melody from "The Ring in Return" into what he was working on, while maintaining the "foreboding beauty" he wanted to capture.

He went on to say that "The Hollow" is meant to express the feeling of anxiety about not wanting to head out into a great new world alone.

Trivia

• Eppard played Keyboards, John Medeski did the Synthesizers, Sanchez played Electric Piano, and Chondra Echert joined Sanchez on vocals (as All Mother). Echert's voice may have been mixed with Madeline Birnbaum's who is also credited on the album for additional vocals.
  • Though Sanchez had been considering Echert for the voice of the All Mother, it was actually Eppard who voiced the suggestion.

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