Short Reviews [Howling Giant - 2017 - "Black Hole Space Wizard: Part 2"]

US band HOWLING GIANT was formed as recently as 2014, but have been quite the active band ever since. They have numerous concerts under their belt already, and have released three EP's along the way too. "Black Hole Space Wizard: Part 2" is the most recent of these, and appeared in 2017. While stoner rock and doom metal is thrown around a lot for this band, along with whispers of Mastodon, my feeling for this band is perhaps slightly at odds with that. They do have their Sabbath oriented riffs and stoner tinged escapades true enough, and they do have their fair share of twisted, psych-dripping guitar riff, solo runs and even a booming, effects laden bass guitar going here and there. But they also have passages with a cleaner instrument sound, melodic and controlled lead vocals, and a fairly liberal use of organ throughout. My main impression is that they alternate between a psyched up, heavier version of classic Deep Purple with a Black Sabbath twist and a smoother, more elegant take on the classic Black Sabbath sound as run through a Deep Purple oriented filter, flavored with modern stoner rock tendencies and with subtle psychedelic coating. They do this in an excellent manner I should add, and the end result is rather more compelling than what this description might indicate. I rather suspect that the fans of classic era Black Sabbath and Deep Purple that also appreciate a psychedelic take on the music of both of those bands should feel pretty much right at home with the pursuits of Howling Giant. This band is on Bandcamp, and I recommend those who feel my description to be an interesting one to head over there for a quick listen.