Howling Giant streaming “Black Hole Space Wizard Part 1”
Nashville, TN Fuzz Rockers HOWLING GIANT are streaming Black Hole Space Wizard: Part 1 in its entirety. Check out The Obelisk’s exclusive stream at the following link: http://theobelisk.net/obelisk/2016/08/08/howling-giant-black-hole-space-wizard-part-1-review-stream/
HOWLING GIANT will release Black Hole Space Wizard: Part 1 on August 12. You can pre-order it at http://howlinggiant.bigcartel.com/.
Make sure to check out the official video for “Dirtmouth” at this location.
The forthcoming release is the first installment of the fascinating Black Hole Space Wizard EP concept series. As guitarist Tom Polzine explains, “Musically we aim to write songs that are melodic, catchy, and head bang-able. As a concept series, we strive to conjure up space-themed imagery of heroes and villains at war, introducing the story and setting the scene of things to come within the Black Hole Space Wizard Universe. We’re not trying to spell out the entire story so much as we are creating scenes to provoke your imagination.”
Conceptually, the EP paints four distinct scenes: 1. The pinnacle of mankind; 2. An exodus from Earth; 3. The Black Hole Space Wizard destroying everything; and; 4. A lone survivor trapped on a ravaged Mother Earth. In Roger Mark’s (bass/vocals) own words, “The first track is a little more progressive, packed with riffs both dark and triumphant. The second track is all about build and groove. The third track is thrash, metal, and destructive. The final track is spacey with doom elements.”
Overall, it you are one of the many that wishes MASTODON had continued in the cosmic, crushing progressive manner of Crack The Skye and Blood Mountain, HOWLING GIANT is your dream band!
Black Hole Space Wizard: Part 1 was produced by HOWLING GIANT, mixed by Kim Auch, and mastered by Chris Fasco.
RIYL: ELDER, RED FANG, MELVINS, BARONESS, RUSH
“To say to this band blew me away the minute their music hit my ear holes, would be a damned understatement.”
– The Sludgelord
“This four song EP is outrageous. It digs down deep, and hurls you through an odyssey of progressive metal that grinds with a heavy edge.” 5/5
– New Noise Magazine
“Howling Giant sound like they come from an alternate reality where Pink Floyd spent their twilight years collaborating with Mastodon. An essential purchase.” 10/10
– Sonic Abuse
“A charismatic, unique and all encompassing listen.”
– Cadaver Garden
“A high stakes intergalactic thrill ride, bolstered by big riffs, bigger hooks, and a whole lot of fun along the way.”
– Sorrow Eternal
“Howling Giant brings the fuzz and so much more. One down-tuned crunchy stoner metal riff after another, in a style closely resembling genre legends The Sword and Witchcraft.”
– Glacially Musical
“A great progressive rock sound filled with riffs.”
– JP’s Music Blog
“Each cut brings a personality and identity of its own, describing the glorious ascent and ultimate destruction of mankind as the music careens between the Dead Roots Stirring-era Elder-style melodicism and winding riffage of opener ‘Mothership’ to the organ-laced final build and crash of ‘Clouds of Smoke.'”
– The Obelisk
Track Listing:
1. Mothership
2. Exodus: Earth
3. Dirtmouth
4. Clouds of Smoke
Photo Credit: Kim Auch
BIO
HOWLING GIANT is what happens when three nerds write about space travel, doomed seafarers, and a sentient android hellbent for a camel killing death crusade. HOWLING GIANT plays self-indulgent, drop-tuned, fuzzed out riffs that could curdle milk.
HOWLING GIANT! The very name summons up mental images of a huge mutated orc-warrior astride an even more gigantic mastodon, ready to bring death, doom, damnation and destruction (and many other things beginning with “d”) down upon its enemies.
Names matter, and something magical happened when three nerds obsessed with all that is fuzzed-out, riffed-out, and heavy came together to compose cosmic odes to space travel, doomed sea-farers, and even an android on a camel-killing crusade (what harm did the poor camel ever do to him?), under the name Howling Giant.
Drummer Zach Wheeler says the name is no accident and reflects the band’s music. “Howling Giant sounds a lot like a loud beast, which is what we strive to do musically. We aim to create a full sound that people might normally expect from a five-piece rather than a power-trio.” Indeed, by employing the three-piece format, Howling Giant is following in the footsteps of legends like Motorhead, MC5, CREAM, and CORROSION OF CONFORMITY; good company to be in! As the band’s philosophy would have it wisely: “Teamwork makes the dream work.”
In keeping with the team approach, writing is very much a collaborative effort. “We usually come up with a general theme, then we write riffs and musical passages to support said theme. After that, we work on overall arrangements to create a nice flow and build within the song. Lyrics and vocal melodies come last as an icing on a very meaty cake. We find the flow of an album is just as important as the flow of an individual song and we strive to make each song unique. We wanted to include a combination of heavy, spacey, doom, and thrash, all wrapped up in a crunchy garage-sounding blanket. Fans can expect two more EPs within the Black Hole Space Wizard Universe. And with an overflowing riff bank, who knows how long we’ll go.”
Such far-out music deserves far-out lyrics, and HOWLING GIANT is prepared to go to extreme lengths to get them. As bassist Roger Marks reveals, “We have a strict regimen of smashing our heads into walls daily until lyrics finally come to us.” As for inspiration, “We are inspired by science fiction and occult rituals, as well as books, movies, and other music.”
Hailing from Nashville, HOWLING GIANT obviously had some special metal immunity to all the country and western music in the air. The boys started jamming at school in Boston with an aim to move away from overtly serious music and have fun, describing their music accurately as “loud, energetic, heavy, melodic, and cosmic.”
Album Line Up:
Tom Polzine – Guitar, Vocals
Roger Marks – Bass Guitar, Vocals
Zach Wheeler – Drums, Vocals
Drew Harakal – Organ, Synths
Live Line Up:
Tom Polzine – Guitar, Vocals
Roger Marks – Bass Guitar, Vocals
Zach Wheeler – Drums, Vocals
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