I’m not the resident stoner rock/metal expert here at Ave Noctum (we have two gentlemen who could compete for that title), but every now and then, for the sake of change, I do like to listen to meaty guitar riffs and heavy bass lines. As it turns out, Howling Giant’s second full-length album Glass Future provides the listener with both – and then some. Chosen for review for the sake of diversity, the album proved a very nice surprise. What was so unexpected? Well, for starters I will just say that Howling Giant’s new musical offering is as vibrant as the striking, crimson album cover design promises.
That this is not generic stoner fare becomes clear straight from the get go. Or more precisely, straight form track number two, Siren Song, which follows a short intro titled Hourglass. The music, the drumming especially, is bursting with action and adventure. There is an excitement to be felt, alongside an explorative, playful, inquisitive spirit. And you know instantly that this is the beginning of a wild trip. What kind of trip? One that includes fantastic space travel and wonderous, unknown worlds.
The album’s lyrics, some sounding like they could be part of an Isaac Asimov novel, provide glimpses into scenes from science fiction stories and fantasy worlds, while the music serves as soundtrack to these scenes and makes it easier to visualize them. Apart from being musicians, these guys, it seems, are also excellent story tellers.
From classic metal and hard rock, to psychedelia and punk – there is a quite an exhilarating, diverse palette of influences to be heard on Glass Future. And since the trio calls Nashville, Tennessee, their home, this totally makes sense. In a town with such a rich musical lineage to look back upon, a town teeming with musicians of all colours, you can hardly play standard fare if you want to make a name for yourself.
Hence, the album’s ten songs are exploding with energy, and energy of a distinctively positive kind. Something not all that common in underground metal. While the musicianship is outstanding all around, a lot of the soundscapes’ dynamics stem from the performance of drummer Zach Wheeler who seems to be blessed with especially restless pairs of arms and legs.
Glass Future by Howling Giant is an exciting, adventurous, energetic musical trip into fantasy worlds, worlds that do have their dangers, but appear to be void of the foulness that governs ours. Refreshing and recommended, not just for stoner rock fans.
(8/10 Slavica)
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