The are all kinds of unwritten rules and traditions. Sports
certainly have them. Why, it seems like at least once every baseball season
there is a “brawl” brought on by someone ignoring the unwritten rules. We have
them in rock music as well, one of them being the rock trio. There are bands
like Triumph, who bring the meat and potatoes rock with just 3 guys. ZZ Top
took a genre and made it their own with 3 band members, through sheer perseverance
and consistent quality. And who doesn't geek out on Rush, a trio for the ages
that are able to sound like they have 6 band members at times.
I speak of trios because this band, The Sky Giants, are a trio. These gentlemen are kind of in a league of their own as far as how I would describe their music. There are certainly some influences from Rush that are clearly heard at times throughout the album, and I also hear some Mastodon type things going on. There are also moments on this release when things are starting to get really manic when they remind me of The Mars Volta. All of those are pretty good jumping off points but the band certainly have their own unique sound. The band describes their sound as progressive hard rock and metal. I'll be honest, I don't listen to a lot of music that sounds like this, so maybe that is what makes it all the more enjoyable.
This is a really great group of songs and it seems that someone in the band pays attention to the lost art of album sequencing, because it all flows together very nicely. When I listen to what I consider to be my classic albums, one of the things that always stands out is the flow of the tracks. These guys get it; a lot of other bands don't. The performances of drums, bass and guitar are really on point as well. This is very intricate, complicated music and these guys pull it off flawlessly. It all sounds like they just do this without any effort, yet that is all the more difficult when there are only three instruments involved and each one has to stand on its own.
I really dig the lyrics as well. I haven't yet listened to them very deeply, but they seem to be very science fiction-y without drifting over into full on demons and wizards mode. These guys really seem like they put some thought into every aspect of this release and its not just some knuckle dragging, meat head music, but music that is also looking for listeners who want to put some thought into the finished product. Personal favorite tracks are the title track, “Half Machine”, and “Rhyme and The Flame”. Spend a little time with this one and you'll have your own favorites.
This one is highly recommended, especially if you find yourself listening to the same old stuff over and over. Right now I believe it is only available digitally, so head on over to Bandcamp and check this one out. The Sky Giants bring us a breath of fresh air in a winter full of releases that all sound like things we've been listening to before.
-ODIN
