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Hollan Holmes — The Sanctity of Rust
(Spotted Peccary SPM-4404, 2026, CD)

by Peter Thelen, Published 2026-05-07

The Sanctity of Rust Cover art

Following half a dozen self-released albums beginning in 2010, Hollan Holmes joined the Spotted Peccary family in 2020, and has released four full-length releases, the latest of which is The Sanctity of Rust. Using an array of hardware synthesizers and software tools, the twelve tracks herein represent some of his finest compositions to date, seemingly exploring the elegance of aging and decay, or at least that’s the way it seems at the beginning of the set, though on later tracks we often hear more of an ambient sound mixed with Berlin School style that’s all too familiar to fans of Jarre, Tangerine Dream, and others. The title track opens the set, the underlying textures actually sound snarly, rough and rusty, while some smooth clear sequenced adornments spin circles around the listener’s head and what seems like a majestic soaring guitar solo comes in out of the background, while deep bass pulses guide the rhythm forward. An appropriate follow-on, “The Unstoppable March of Time” immerses the listener in deep pulses and powerful melodies, with similar textures found on the opener, jagged rhythms criss-crossing the entire field of view, but it‘s over all too soon. A more TD-like sound comes forth on “Once  More unto the Breach,” flying synth colors abound amid a powerful dreamscape, and little evidence of the ‘rustiness’ of the first two cuts. “Moebius Trip” continues in this vein, sequences and flying melodic leaps, although with a stronger textural appeal under the surface. Other tracks of note include the slow and measured “Battle Scars” that wanders slowly into the night with a gorgeous keyboard melody, and the dreamy, slow, and measured “Night Sky,” again, not a lot  of rusty textures here but the interlocking melodies are stunning and beautiful. Filling the air with elastic drones, repeating sequences and an understated melody, “Spellbound” goes farther and deeper into space, leading into “One Door Closes and Another Opens,” a heavily sequenced piece driving smooth, beautiful tones; not much rust here either, but it makes a grand entrance into “The Fantastic Journey” where light and shadow mix in a glorious shimmer. Plenty here of interest for fans of electronic sounds and superb compositions and arrangements.

Filed under: New releases, 2026 releases

Related artist(s): Hollan Holmes

More info
http://hollan-holmes.bandcamp.com/album/the-sanctity-of-rust

 

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