Friday 27 September 2019

HOWLING GIANT ~ THE SPACE BETWEEN WORLDS ..... review


Nashville's Howling Giant, Tom Polzine (guitar/vocals); Zach Wheeler (drums/vocals) and Sebastian Baltes (bass/vocals), should be no strangers to those with their fingers pressed firmly on the pulse of underground rock, the band having released a mightily impressive series of EP's that have dazzled and delighted fans from right across the rock spectrum. This year the band decided to go that extra mile and release a full album and not content to just deliver a normal album they have made it a concept album! Welcome to "The Space Between Worlds".(Blues Funeral Recordings)


It is best to allow Howling Giant to explain the concept behind "The Space between Worlds".... "The Space Between Worlds is a concept album that follows the story of a huntress who travels the infinite metaphysical worlds brought into being by the dreams of humankind. In these realms, she encounters a dream eater which threatens to unravel the fabric of reality by devouring dreamers and destroying the dimensional gateways". Now Desert Psychlist could try to explain how each song interconnects with the next but that would be taking half the fun out of things for you the listener, instead we are going to talk about the overall effect of the album as a musical piece. Concept or not there is no getting away from the fact that "The Space Between Worlds" is a stunning album executed by musicians of the highest calibre, an audial feast for the ears that although leans towards the progressive end of the rock spectrum is saved from the usual over complex and over technical pitfalls of that genre by also having an element of swing and melody. Songs with titles like "Comet Rider", "The River Guide" and "The Orb" are not bereft of complexity and instrumental intricacy, far from it, it is just that they are balanced out with old fashioned crunch and swagger as well as a fair modicum of lighter elements such as three part vocal harmonies and lilting acoustic passages. Howling Giant also keep a tight rein on duration times, only the emotive and undulating "Everlight" comes close to the eight minute mark, thus ensuring that no one song ever overstays its welcome and becomes overblown and indulgent.


Bands like Elder, All Them Witches and Merlin have all been successful, on differing levels, in getting their music out there and heard by people who might not have ever listened to a supposedly underground band before, due partly to their musicality but also due to their courage in not playing it safe. On the evidence of "The Space Between Worlds" Desert Psychlist sees no reason why Howling Giant should not be included on that list.
Check it out ….

© 2019 Frazer Jones

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