I Am Giant - The Horrifying Truth (18/06/2013)
On paper, I Am Giant have an interesting array of achievements. They have been awarded several commendations, and their music has been featured in skate and surf videos featuring Tony Hawk and Kelly Slater. The band has also opened for Slash, Taking Back Sunday and Stone Temple Pilots.
Recently they played the New Zealand and Sydney legs of Big Day out. The band recently released their first LP, entitled The Horrifying Truth. These various achievements should be indicative of a multifaceted, intricate, ground breaking album. But they’re not.
Having no prior knowledge of the band, the album art caused me to think I was in for some type of grindcore-thrash metal, mash up. I was very wrong.
The band stumbles through a maze of fourteen songs that appear to draw influence from such acts as Deftones, Lost Prophets Dead Letter Circus and Birds of Tokyo, I Am Giant never really find their feet.
The Horrifying Truth is not a bad album, it just is not a memorable one. You would expect more from an international act surrounded with so much hype.
Songs such as City Limits and Purple Heart show that the band is not short of musicianship, just short of creative talent. The songs are formulaic and derivative of what has been done many times before, and much better in comparison to what I Am Giant could produce.
What I Am Giant can seem to muster is a very rich sound throughout the album. Although, one must contemplate whether or not the album could have actually potentially benefitted from a more raw,rough and harsh sound and not one that lends itself towards quality production.
Usually, I rate an album in one of two ways. Is the music catchy, intricate or interesting enough to deem a second listen, or is it simply forgettable? Unfortunately, The Horrifying Truth is that the album falls into the latter category, mainly due to bland, formulaic songwriting and contrived lyrics that never allows the album to elevate above a level of simply “not bad”. If the band were to concentrate more on quality over quantity, the next release may not be so forgettable.
James Versluis
Recently they played the New Zealand and Sydney legs of Big Day out. The band recently released their first LP, entitled The Horrifying Truth. These various achievements should be indicative of a multifaceted, intricate, ground breaking album. But they’re not.
Having no prior knowledge of the band, the album art caused me to think I was in for some type of grindcore-thrash metal, mash up. I was very wrong.
The band stumbles through a maze of fourteen songs that appear to draw influence from such acts as Deftones, Lost Prophets Dead Letter Circus and Birds of Tokyo, I Am Giant never really find their feet.
The Horrifying Truth is not a bad album, it just is not a memorable one. You would expect more from an international act surrounded with so much hype.
Songs such as City Limits and Purple Heart show that the band is not short of musicianship, just short of creative talent. The songs are formulaic and derivative of what has been done many times before, and much better in comparison to what I Am Giant could produce.
What I Am Giant can seem to muster is a very rich sound throughout the album. Although, one must contemplate whether or not the album could have actually potentially benefitted from a more raw,rough and harsh sound and not one that lends itself towards quality production.
Usually, I rate an album in one of two ways. Is the music catchy, intricate or interesting enough to deem a second listen, or is it simply forgettable? Unfortunately, The Horrifying Truth is that the album falls into the latter category, mainly due to bland, formulaic songwriting and contrived lyrics that never allows the album to elevate above a level of simply “not bad”. If the band were to concentrate more on quality over quantity, the next release may not be so forgettable.
James Versluis