Johannesburg-based heavy outfit Lower Hollow return with their latest single, a striking and unapologetic cover of Type O Negative’s “I Don’t Wanna Be Me.” The release follows last year’s Threnody: Songs Of Perseverance and continues to showcase the band’s evolving sound with vocalist Kathryn firmly at the forefront.
Formed in 2022, Lower Hollow have steadily carved out their place within South Africa’s heavy music landscape. With two full-length albums released to date and extensive touring across the country, the band continue to push their immersive, heavy and atmospheric sound across genre boundaries.
The idea to release a cover had been circulating within the Lower Hollow camp for some time, but the choice of song came together more organically than expected. According to drummer Ashley De Beer, the band were drawn to something outside of their usual sonic associations.
“For quite some time our camp has been discussing releasing a cover version. What is usually a tough decision to get everyone to agree on, came relatively easy. Everyone threw a couple songs in the hat, where there happened to be a few ideas of more gothic / industrial tracks. Reaching a consensus with Type O Negative’s ‘I Don’t Wanna Be Me’, certainly not a band or genre you’d easily associate with Lower Hollow, which made it perfect.”
One of the most striking elements of Lower Hollow’s version lies in its vocal reinterpretation. With Kathryn’s voice occupying a very different space to Peter Steele’s unmistakable baritone, the band leaned into contrast rather than comparison.
“Vocally of course is where you hear the biggest difference to the original, where we of course have Kathryn’s vocals in a completely different world to Peter Steele,” De Beer explains. “For Type O though, this song was somewhat different to their discography — a sort of black sheep track in a way — where for us it felt more in line with our feel and sound.”
Buy / Stream I Don’t Wanna Be Me
Musically, the band leaned further into their natural intensity, sharpening the aggression and attack while resisting the urge to closely mimic the original recording.
“We applied a slightly heavier, more aggressive edge to the whole feel, with a bit more attack on feel and delivery. We didn’t want to replicate the song, but rather to breathe new life into it and perhaps even help folks hear some of our musical elements in the way we approached performing the song.”
The track’s closing moments introduce an extended atmospheric lead section, a deliberate stylistic choice that ties the single closely to Threnody: Songs Of Perseverance.
“We ended up adding a whole extra atmospheric lead section on the tail-end of the song which of course is a main running theme on our recent ‘Threnody: Songs Of Perseverance’ release. Hopefully a nice touch that folks come to appreciate in our version.”
Lower Hollow’s take on “I Don’t Wanna Be Me” captures the spirit of reinvention honouring the weight and legacy of the original while confidently asserting the band’s current identity.
