King Giant - "13 to 1" (video)
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There is a strain of metal that I’ll call “Average Joe metal”. On their MySpaces, such bands usually list the most basic influences: Black Sabbath, Metallica, Pantera, Lamb of God, Clutch, Corrosion of Conformity. The more adventurous ones might list Kyuss or Eyehategod. I don’t know any of these bands personally, but I’d imagine that they watch American football on Sundays and wear trucker caps unironically. They hold steady jobs and rehearse on weekends. They are Average Joes.
Average Joes tend to make average metal. It is usually drop-tuned, bluesy, and loud, but without the finesse of its inspirations. The bands that inspire Average Joes tend not to be Average Joes themselves. Metallica? Not Average Joes. Pantera? Certainly not Average Joes. Black Sabbath began as Average Joes, but rose to become demigods. Lamb of God do strike me as Average Joes who made good. Perhaps a certain madness that Average Joes lack is necessary to inspire the best metal.
When I first heard King Giant three years ago, they played Average Joe metal. We were both starting out. Their Burden demo was one of the first recordings I reviewed on this site. It was rough around the edges, but I liked its desperation. What Bob Dotolo’s howls lacked in skill, they made up for in force. I’ve lost the demo and haven’t heard it in a while, but its sound is still fresh in my mind.
Several months after I reviewed the demo, Dotolo killed himself. He had been battling depression (story here). King Giant soldiered on, drafting singer Dave Hammerly. Last year they self-released their first full-length, Southern Darkness. Had I heard it last year, it would have made my top 10 list. I reviewed it recently for Decibel‘s demo column, but 50 words couldn’t do it justice. So here I am to put the name in your ear: King Giant.
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“13 to 1” (Official Video)
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Southern Darkness marks one of the most remarkable improvements I’ve seen in a band. The Average Joe metal is still there, but the band has much stronger control over melody and song structure. King Giant embody meat-and-potatoes influences – sludge metal, stoner metal, noise rock – but now they conjure a haunting atmosphere with hints of Americana. Nick Cave comes to mind, as does the Nick Cave-esque Man’s Gin record that recently came out on Profound Lore. Americana is largely unexplored territory in metal; Earth, Across Tundras, and Wrnlrd are the only other names that come to mind. It’s gratifying to hear a band integrate it so organically with heavy music.
King Giant just put out a video for the song “13 to 1” (see above). It’s shot in HD, so fire it up at 1080p, wait for it to load, then bask in the colors. The story – a poker game gone bad – isn’t complicated, but the cinematography is beautiful, and the whole thing is like a little movie. Dig that banjo, too! Bands like King Giant make me utterly depressed about the music industry. Labels are signing deathcore and retro abominations left and right, and no one’s picked up this band yet. They make some of the most honest, heartfelt – and now skilled – music around. So here I am to put the name in your ear: King Giant.
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King Giant play The Trash Bar in Brooklyn on October 30.
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Get Southern Darkness
Amazon (CD)
Amazon (MP3)
All That Is Heavy (CD)
Official King Giant webstore (CD, shirts)
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