Writing tunes about space travel, doomed seafarers and a sentient android hellbent for a camel killing death crusade, Nashville’s HOWLING GIANT shared last August part one of their three part “Black Hole Space Wizard” concept record series. A year later, the nerd power trio returns with part two of the adventure set for release on August 25th. Playing self-indulgent, drop-tuned, fuzzed out riffs “Black Hole Space Wizard: Part 2” is again produced by the band, mixed by Kim Wheeler and mastered by Chris Fasco. The EP features six cosmic progressive travels of ‘The Pioneer’ continuing his quest for self-discovery and purpose on the husk planet, Earth.
“Hopefully for our returning fans, it is accepted with open arms and an open mind. As Part 2 of the 3 piece saga, this EP was meant to focus on the travels and trials of The Pioneer, protagonist, and last of mankind. The music reflects his growth and self discovery on a post-apocalyptic planet Earth. To new fans/fresh ears, we’d like to invite them into the Black Hole Space Wizard universe through fat stomping riffs, spacey grooves, accessible vocal melody and juicy, pulpy sci-fi madness. We always try to refine our song writing and take one step into new territory with each release, pulling stylistically from whatever inspires us in the moment. Our recorded music is our best interpretation of the sounds we hear in our heads, and our goal is to make our sonic visions clearer with each release.” says drummer Zach Wheeler.
Teaming up with TheSludgelord, HOWLING GIANT is exclusively premiering the video for their first single “The Pioneer”.
“This track features a delicious bass riff that grounds the listener before introducing a triumphant chorus and stomping riffs. On this track, you can find Tom heating up the room with some fiery pentatonic exploration.” explains Wheeler.
To watch “The Pioneer”, please visit the following link: http://thesludgelord.blogspot.com/2017/07/video-premiere-howling-giant-deliver.html
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.”
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.”
Overall, HOWLING GIANT’s music forms part of a fascinating Black Hole Space Wizard concept EP series, which the trio returns with Part 2 due out on August 25th, 2017 to follow Part 1 released almost exactly a year prior.
If 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!