King Giant – Southern Darkness
Genre: Stoner. Sludge
Label: Independent
Man, I thought this band ruled before I even hit play! When you’ve got a name like King Gnat, you’ve gotta be… oh wait… fucking dyslexia. Well, KING GIANT is good too. I guess… Naw, I kid the guys! I was actually super excited since I was in the mood for some hyper sluggish, THC infused metal!
The vocalist kind of reminds me of that bit of infamous footage of Scott Stapp (the ballbag from Creed… yeah, I barely remember them too), drunk off his ass and belting booze soaked nothings into the microphone… except, when your voice is naturally gruff and you’re the front man of a sludgy, stoner metal group, that shit totally kills! Southern Darkness has the sexy, abrasive feel of a steel wool condom! This shit is thick too. And I mean THICK! Chugs that are a wall a mile and a half wide of freshly laid tar, still steaming and accompanied by riffs that could bound that same wall, but in slow-mo. Soaring like a portly albatross (geez, the analigies are kinda off tonight, aren’t they?) and building a nest of hemp, discarded square bottles and crushed cans.
The pace is consistent, the style runs from plain stonerific to southern fried and it hit’s the spot if you’re itchin’ for something to listen to while you’re waiting for those twenty six pizzas you order to show up.
Overall: Recommended HIGHly for fans of microwavable burritos, 3 a.m. trips to 7-11 (or the Piggly-Wiggly), shiny things and throwing shit off the overpass to see what sounds it makes…
9/10
King Giant On MySpace