Howling Giant - The Space Between Worlds (2019)
Following a string of EPs and a single
for their cover of BOC's “Godzilla”, the Nashville-based group of
Howling Giant are releasing their first full album, and taking their
spacy stoner van art vibes to the next level by making it a concept
album. Built around the idea of dreams creating alternate realities,
the songs of The Space Between Worlds
take form with a bit more lightness to their tone and attitude than
the cover art and title might imply, but the abundance of riffage and
Moving
faster than the stoner metal style usually does, opening track “Comet
Rider” gets things off to a groove-packed start, with rushing
bridges and barrages of drumming creating an atmosphere of '70s hard
rock blurred into '90s desert rock, feeling something like a
time-warped Kyuss at the end of the blend. “Nomad” carries on
from there in similar fashion, setting up a comfortable run, before
“Ghosts in the Well” shifts to a more stripped-down, acoustic bit
of sober regret, accented with piano to really highlight the band's
flexibility.
“The
River Guide” switches the clutch back into heaviness, with a
throbbing main bass riff that carries the listener right into another
soft breakdown, this time with a bit of glimmering synth to give
things that ethereal touch. Riding that slow mood through a few
measures before slipping the drums back into to resolidify, the
heavier tendencies get to really take hold again in the follow-up,
“Ice Castle”, which might be my favorite tune on the album, due
to its blending of all the album's elements while balancing them out
to a satisfying and memorable chunk of earworming. It's a little
unfortunate that it gets buried in the album's mid-section, but
hopefully it'll come out as a strong enough hook to linger in most
listeners' memories.
Boasting
the oddest title of the songs, “Cybermancer and the Doomsday
Express” swings to a lighter tone while maintaining the hookiness,
and with the line “It's better to explode than fade away,” the
ensuing bit of soloing seems a little underwhelming, though the drum
flourish for the finish salves that to a degree. As “Everlight”
stretches out to nearly eight minutes, the band shows their more
leisurely side, along with some proggish focus on overt meter antics.
It's fluid and fun enough to make the length a non-issue, but at the
same time, it doesn't feel like the length is really being put to any
use other than distinguishing it on that length alone. Penultimate
track “The Orb” does a better job of that, with numerous
change-ups in rhythm and pacing, as well as a shot of bass
reinforcement in its latter half, and at just a minute shorter than
the preceding song, it shows how much sharper the band can be when
they put their minds to it.
Finally,
“Stone Giant” delivers a tasty closer, with some high-action
guitar-work and malleable song-shaping resulting in a pleasing finish
to the dream-based tale. Those who go into the album after seeing
the “stoner metal spacelords” moniker found in the press release
may be taken aback by the lightness of it, but there's fun and
grooves to be had, so give it a go if you're looking for a way to
extend the summer warmth.
~
Gabriel
For
Fans Of; Molly Hatchet, Night Horse, Sheavy, Shepherd (India), Van Halen
~
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