Style: Progressive rock, progressive metal, alternative rock (Clean vocals)
Recommended for fans of: Haken, The Dear Hunter, Dream Theater, Ions
Country: United States (Washington)
Release date: 12 June 2026

---

The Sequel Problem. The Sophomore Slump. There’s a clear cultural awareness of the challenges that await followup artistic works, and none can escape it. At this point I face a version of The Sequel Problem in my own reviews—I’ve written in so many different ways about the inevitable struggle of following prior work that I struggle to describe these circumstances without simply repeating myself. Nevertheless, here I find myself again, writing about Artificial Silence putting forth a second outing eight years after their laudable debut Negative Space. The little-known group gathered a small but dedicated following in the deep reaches of the underground, but without widespread recognition or any word of a new album, their return seemed less and less likely…until now!

The first challenge that arises for the more experienced artist is balancing heightened ambition with more refined sensibilities. Hollow Drift displays much greater ambition in its planning than its predecessor, but the tracklist becomes imbalanced as a result, and that imbalance carries through to the listening experience. With two thirds of the runtime tied up in the final two tracks, the beginning of Hollow Drift feels like driving through minor outlying suburbs before finally reaching the big city lights of “Tidal Lock” and the title track. Everything up through the end of “Paradise” serves as essentially a long prologue or overture (in the sense of being introductory and tone-setting, rather than of sketching out leitmotifs to return later in the production). Although the soft piano and backing synths offer a pleasing and gentle greeting, this extended lead-in still creates a too-long feeling of anticipation as the listener waits for the first emotional payoff to hit—which it finally does with a minute and a half remaining in the second track, as a flowery violin bridge twirls its way into the heavy, cathartic closing. The next two tracks repeat the routine: the off-kilter and almost a capella interlude “The Shadow” flows through the short, straightforward “Fear and Retribution” before finally coming to rest at the edge of the urban sprawl.

Artificial Silence pile their musical layers high with an in-your-face, maximalist approach to progressive music despite generally falling within the softer alternative prog rock space. Every moment of Hollow Drift has almost too much going on, with vocals, electric piano, bass, percussion, multiple guitar parts, and strings (both synthesized and acoustic) all playing wall to wall and barely taking any breaks. ‘Almost’ is the operative word, though—never overwhelming, this structure leads to far more sensational thrill than it does overstimulating excess. Also evident is Artificial Silence’s maturation and exploration into new styles and elements. The aforementioned violin accents deepen the ethereal sheen of the omnipresent keyboard parts, while spoken-word segments (reminiscent of parts of Eidola’s “The Purpose We Find in Our Voices” or “Omega: Third Temple”) lend a welcome severity to the otherwise theatrical and The Dear Hunter-esque vocal performance. The words ring with poetic defiance, bringing a much-needed challenge to the narrative of oppression and authoritarianism which dominates the lyrics. The longer runtimes on the final two tracks also provide much-needed space for disparate segments to sprawl. The twenty-three-minute title track in particular treks through an impressive range of moods, from soft-yet-urgent piano leads, to heavy, twisting mazes of syncopation and odd time signatures, as well as the obligatory breakout into a rustic, circus-like polka theme (for better or worse).

In the eight long years since their debut, Artificial Silence have done a lot of work to shore up the aspects of their composition style that gave me pause (although I can’t exactly take any credit for that evolution). The keyboard parts throughout Negative Space felt tacked on, like a thin film that formed on top as an afterthought, often following simple chromatic rises and falls that contributed little to the album’s emotional core and appeared out of place as a result. In contrast, Hollow Drift incorporates all its disparate parts far more seamlessly, taking on a sophomore’s confidence in their ability to fit the jigsaw pieces together. However, there still remains a slight imperfection to Artificial Silence’s production that makes sure you never quite forget that you’re listening to an artist still finding their feet in the recording studio. There’s some charm in that; it typically comes across as earnest and wholesome rather than any kind of bothersome. Nevertheless, it’s one of the last things holding the group back, however slightly.

A Sophomore Slump, this is not. Hollow Drift improves upon Negative Space in the important ways: it’s more polished, more varied, and more expressive. Still, the artists’ lofty aims combined with their still-maturing talents make for an imperfect experience. Artificial Silence have more work to do to ensure that their highly complex and impactful songwriting can retain its appeal in the long term and across an entire album, without getting bogged down in meandering asides and played-out genre cliches. That said, their songwriting is complex and impactful, and that counts for a lot in making Hollow Drift memorable and worth your time.

---

Recommended tracks: Paradise, Tidal Lock, Hollow Drift
You may also like: Altesia, Avandra, Hemina, Mental Fracture, Aviations, Native Construct
Final verdict: 7/10

Related links: Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Independent

Artificial Silence is:
– Nabil Fadili (guitars, bass)
– Lee Nelson (vocals, guitars, bass, piano)
– Austin Schend (vocals, guitars, bass, piano)
With guest:
– Anita Schend (violin)