#Howling Giant

[metalhead-brainrot]

[Album of the day] Howling Giant / Sergeant Thunderhoof - Masamune & Muramasa

Nashville, TN (HG) | Bath, UK (ST) // 2020

[Genres] stoner rock, heavy psych, prog rock

[Themes] Two blacksmiths of Japanese legend competing to make the best samurai sword.

[FFO] concept albums, samurai media

[Thoughts] I wanted to talk about an underrated release from one of my favorite artists, Howling Giant. They're a stoner rock trio out of Nashville* whom I encountered for the first time when they opened for space rock powerhouse King Buffalo, and later saw them again alongside Elder and Ruby the Hatchet.** Their early stuff is simple riff paradise, and recent releases have seen the band doubling down on the space rock of it all.*** Sergeant Thunderhoof is a great band that I know considerably less about, but my thoughts are that if you like one, you'll like the other.

I bought this split on vinyl because it was half the price of the others at the merch stand and I'm a cheap bastard. And fortunately so, because I love what Howling Giant and Sergeant Thunderhoof achieved together. The concept behind this concept album is one of my favorites; I'd talk more about the legend itself, but I thought you'd rather read the description below to hear what the artists have to say.****

This split is Chapter 2 in a series of splits put out by Ripple Music, a stoner rock record label. These "Turned to Stone" splits are great, I've listened to all nine so far.***** They're a great way to explore some of the selects of the underground stoner scene.

Finally, the album artwork of Masamune & Muramasa is intricate and compelling, especially up close on the vinyl sleeve. This album's cover was done by Sara-Jane Swettenham, based in Bath, who has done other Sergeant Thunderhoof album covers in a similarly distinctive style. It seems she used to sell prints of her work, but her Etsy storepage doesn't appear active so I will link to her Instagram as well.

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* You can tell by the mustaches. Keep on keeping on, Nashville.

** That later show I came specifically to see Howling Giant, though of course I knew the other bands. Everyone put on an excellent show. Ruby the Hatchet in particular was fun to watch; I'd jump at the chance to catch their high-energy heavy psych in the future.

*** I'd highly recommend Black Hole Space Wizard Part I and Part II, and am also partial to their debut EP. I'm also well aware that saying "I prefer their first album" makes me a chode, no need to point it out.

**** Wikipedia link with more info for the intellectually curious.

***** I prefer 1-4, your mileage may vary. They're all good; recent ones have been more desert rock, and earlier one are more psych/prog. Turned to Stone Chapter III features Merlin, a great band best known for their album Christ Killer, a re-telling of Nick Cave's Gladiator II in stoner doom format. Christ Killer is one of my all-time favorites, and Merlin is a band that reinforces what I said in my last post: KCMO is fucking cool.

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[From the band/label]

Chapter two of Ripple's new Turned to Stone series presents the story of two legendary Japanese sword smiths, Muramasa and Masamune, as told in interconnected musical movements by spacefaring psych-metal warriors Howling Giant and their equally cosmic riff-wielding British contemporaries Sergeant Thunderhoof.

In the two pieces, Muramasa and Masamune have a contest to determine whose sword smithery is superior, each crafting a blade of masterful quality and facing off by the edge of the river.

Instead of the typical approach with two bands contributing stand-alone sides of a record, Howling Giant and Sergeant Thunderhoof wanted to write an album that was thematically cohesive. Each side features a 20-minute song assembled via sharing of melodic ideas between the two bands during the writing process, and telling the story from the perspective of one of the sword smiths.

The result is a single piece of ambitious songcraft created by two riff-prog legends leaving another impressive mark on the heavy rock landscape.

[sunseekerdeluxe]

Tunesday 37

Also heard this week:

Amaurot - "Solitude" Cardinals Folly - Live by the Sword Cult Burial - Reverie of the Malignant Delta Sleep - "Re:Forest" Disguised Malignance - Entering the Gateways Dokken - Back in the Streets Dream Unending & Worm - Starpath Ego Planet - Ego Planet Genesis - Calling All Stations Ghost - If You Have Ghost Ghost - Impera Ghost - Infestissumam Ghost - Opus Eponymous Ghost - Phantomime Ghost - Prequelle Hard Rain - Hard Rain Jorn Lande & Trond Holter - Dracula - Swing of Death Snail Mail - Valentine (Demos) Solipnosis - Sintesis Silenciosa Strigoi - Bathed in a Black Sun Tar Pond - Protocol of Constant Sadness Year of the Knife - No Love Lost

[falkonryderz]

Howling Giant - Aluminum Crown [Official Music Video]

[metalshockfinland]

HOWLING GIANT Release New 'Juggernaut' Music Video + Announce US Tour Dates with THE OBSESSED

[photo source: Magnetic Eye Records] HOWLING GIANT dish out a jar full of spicy news today. First helping is a hot sauce-filled video clip for the yummy track ‘Juggernaut’ taken from the band’s current album “Glass Future”, released in October 2023 through Magnetic Eye Records (order at http://lnk.spkr.media/glass-future). Next on the menu is a tasty US tour in spring 2024 in support of THE…

[dotwpod]

(292) Independent Music Special Volume 19

Disciples!We’re getting near the end of 2023, but nowhere near the end of the great tunes from Independent bands to share with you all! For the uninitiated, these are releases from the month of October, and this ‘part one’ are the more Rock-n-Metal songs selected. Stay tuned (or join our Patreon) for Part II, with the “heavier” stuff. Enjoy! BLOCK ONE: MJM (Canada) https://linktr.ee/mjmrocks…

[rockyoushow]

HOWLING GIANT Release Title Track And Details Of Forthcoming New Album

Nashville, Tennessee cosmic stoner metal trio HOWLING GIANT reveal the title track from sophomore full-length “Glass Future”, which is scheduled for release October 27. The second single ‘Glass Future’ comes in the shape of a high energy performance video. Every song on HOWLING GIANT‘s sophomore album “Glass Future” tells its own story. Yet even without an overarching concept, all could exist…

[nowonlyghosts]

Howling Giant // The Space Between Worlds

(2019)

[lemonmeringuefan27]

HOLYFUCKHOLYFUCKGHOly

he looks so COSY i want to CUDDLE 🥺🥺 PLEAESEPLAEASEPLEASE😩😩😩😩

[geekynerfherder]

Showcasing art from some of my favourite artists, and those that have attracted my attention, in the field of visual arts, including vintage; pulp; pop culture; books and comics; concert posters; fantastical and imaginative realism; classical; contemporary; new contemporary; pop surrealism; conceptual and illustration.

The art of Oliver Wetter.

[animationgirl89]

[Part 3.](NPC + DLC Edition)

[voch]

I absolutely adored @firecurls-27’s idea of What If Chalice Was Adopted By Other DLC Bosses? and I decided to do that with the cupbros!

More info about these designs:

King’s Leap Prince Cup and Prince Mug were taken in by the King and Queen of games and raised to be proper Gamemasters. However, Prince Cup found he liked participating in the games way more than controlling them, and rebelled, living a double life. Every night he sneaks out and lives with the Mice, enjoying their jovial parties. Little does he know they’re planning to overthrow and execute the Queen. Mugman knows of his brother’s secret, but won’t give him away. However, he is very suspicious of the Mice, and isn’t afraid to go to any lengths to protect his kingdom. Where will each brother find their loyalties lies, and will they figure it out before it’s too late?

Esther Winchester Two Shots and Ten Gallon are the West’s most fearsome nogoodniks. Two Shots is small, rough, and rowdy, and has a shorter fuse than Mama Esther’s dynamite, but he’s an eagle eye capable of shooting a gold coin from across the town. Ten Gallon runs his Mama’s spaghetti saloon, but don’t be fooled by his more passive demeanor: he’s a professional con artist with more than a few tricks up his sleeve. Ten Gallon constantly worries Two Shots is gonna end up being picked by vultures in a ditch with his attitude, but there’s no stopping the sharpest shooter in the Isles… right?

Moonshine Mob Big Cup and Mugsy Smiles are actually raised by different members of the Mob, so they’re more distant than other Cupheads and Mugmen. Big Cup was taken under the Snail’s proverbial wing and Mugsy Smiles was adopted by Charlie and Lightbug. Big Cup is pretty tough and never takes no guff from nobody, but he feels pretty lonely in the mob. He has respect, but no real friends. He stuck the antennae into his hat to feel a bit more part of the family (just don’t ask where he got the antennae from). Mugsy Smiles, meanwhile, is more of an entertainer. He can play many instruments, he can sing, and he can dance. He’s not afraid to get his dirty in the real whiskey business, though. Big Cup and Mugsy Smiles don’t really connect the dots that they’re brothers, but they both feel like something is missing from their past…

Glumstone Cuppy and Muggy are beloved by the gnomes. Cuppy has gotten a real knack for mining and loves the shiniest of ores and gems. He even uses gold to fix cracks in his skin. Muggy tends to growing the Gnomeberry gardens, making sure they’re as bright and juicy as possible. Being raised how they were, they picked up many more talents, including storytelling, making every sentence a rhyme, and of course, mountain climbing. In fact, Porkrind often recalls the tale of how they rescued his beloved wife from her demise in the snowy hills. And every summer, when the happy campers dare to venture through the mountains, they may get to sneak a peek of the two tallest gnomes in the Isle…

Mortimer Freeze Cold Cup and Snow Milk, aka the Ice Cream Brothers, are not to be trifled with. The most powerful magicians in the Isles, their combined magic is said to be strong enough to freeze over Hell itself. Cold Cup uses Ice Cream and similarly delicious frozen treats to lure in new members, while Snow Milk… deals with them. Details in their design I’m proud of? Cold Cup has a Pentacle in his hat while Snow Milk has a Sword necklace. Pentacles are the replacement for Diamonds in Tarot, and Swords are the replacement for Spades.

Howling Aces Cast and Mike (named after “C” and “M” in the RAF Radiophonic alphabet, respectively) were raised as Yankee Yippers to be the new Top Dogs of the Howling Aces. Cast, who takes more after Hugo Bulldog — and even has the same bones tattoo to prove it — is serious and well-trained soldier. Mike, who has a more natural love of aeroplanes and leadership, takes more after Sargent O’Fera. However, Mike has a long-standing rivalry with local boy genius Canteen Hughes, who seems to have a bone to pick with the Aces, for some reason. Guess he and Mugman can’t be best friends in every universe…

[friendlyfoxpal]

Walking on Air

While waiting for my friends for movie night the other day, i drew fanart of our planned viewing of Howl's Moving Castle With a hint and twist of G/t of coarse. Cause everything i touch gets g/t somehow, one way or another

[jazzy-flowerr]

I forced my family to name the Cuphead DLC characters and these were the results

(told y'all I'd get to it eventually ;))

[metalshockfinland]

HOWLING GIANT Premiere New Album Single & Music Video 'Aluminum Crown'

[photo: Mollie Crowe] Nashville, Tennessee cosmic stoner metal trio HOWLING GIANT has shared a music video for their new single “Aluminum Crown”, taken from the band’s sophomore full-length “Glass Future”, which is scheduled for a release on October 27, 2023 via Magnetic Eye Records. The pre-sale is available at THIS LOCATION! Says bassist Sebastian Baltes about the new single:“We were…

[dotwpod]

(283) August Independent Music Special Pt. 1

Disciples!!Wow – August sure went fast, didn’t it? Well, the good news is that we have a new Independent Music Special quicker – at least it feels that way. We have all sorts of goodies released in August, and this is the first of two. This episode brings the ‘Rock-to-Heavier’ bunch out, and Part II will have the EVEN HEAVIER releases in it. So, MASH that play/download button, and give your ears…

[heavenlyhoundoom]

Cuphead dlc characters at the zoo.