SuperGiant - Antares
By Kevin McHugh
Self-Released
July 23, 2008

SuperGiant is unapologetic, balls-to-the-wall blues-based southwestern riff metal, screaming down a midnight desert highway with nothing but fun on its collective mind. Of course, "fun" for these guys involves drinking whiskey out of a hollowed-out skull in the middle of a lysergic daydream with Blue Cheer as the soundtrack, but we can't all be "normal," can we?

This is a band bristling with energy, worshipping at the time-honored altar of sex, drugz, n' rock n' roll, and their fiendish intensity of vision is your gain. Their total respect for the riff is leavened by an appreciation of the classics in the form of Molly Hatchet, Sabbath, Zeppelin and ‘Cheer, combined with more recent rockers like Fireball Ministry, Tummler, Fu, and underground biker metal like Omegalord and the far-too-unsung Activator. The production is garagey and unpretentious without being lo-fi. The vocals are the focus, and they work best when clean and wreathed in echo. The group seems to prefer to work in ensemble mode, and when they're at their peak they pound in perfect coordination like the pistons of a '70 Chevelle set loose on the Bonneville salt flats.

This is passionate stuff, and it gets better as the album progresses, with songs like ‘Sphere Mirror' and ‘Antares' presented with a good dose of space rock, assuming an epic quality in which the band shines at their brightest. The only gripe is that this lengthy album might have been split into two shorter ones. This is not to imply that there is any wasted space here, because the songwriting is quite good. It's just that with two albums instead of one, more – many more – guitar solos could be inserted into the mix to lengthen the tuneage. And that's a good thing

The lyrics summon you to the open road, where the next consciousness-expanding adventure is coming at you in a matter of seconds. You might as well call "shotgun" and get on board.


Visit the SuperGiant website at www.supergiantrock.com

__________________
Now wait a minute, I can't change attitudes!

Mike

Tha band was nice enough to send me one of these and I had every intention of eventually reviewing it. We're right in the middle of a move though and I haven't gotten to it yet. Seeing as how it's going to be a bit to get new cable installed when we get to the new place this weekend and then unpacking i think I'll piggy back on Kevin's (great job by the way!).

This is some seriously good stuff. All bands live and die in the end by their songwriting and how well it fits their style. SuperGiant nails it both in quality and congruence. I actually really dig the beginning of the record also. The energy just bursts out at you, but the groove is there. No pretentiousness , just enthusiastic heavy rock. They even make a song named "Petunias" work. How many bands can do that? What I really dig about tunes like that and The Devil, Jesus and Me is that swaggering, rolling, funky groove that when mixed with the vocal delivery and lyrics recall the much missed Mother Love Bone (at least much missed in my book, and I'm guessing a lot of folks with 70's rock roots).

The name, press sheet and artwork would have this lost in a the haze of an overblown scene whose time has past, but let me tell you this crushes the competition in the retro riff rock field and moves beyond pigeon holing. Congrats lads and good job...

Kevin

Cheers, Mike. Good point about Mother Love Bone. Here's wishing you a speedy recovery from the move. Man, I know how that hurts!

__________________
Now wait a minute, I can't change attitudes!