Sleeping Giant

Sleeping Giant are back with Kingdom Days in an Evil Age, their third album of solid Christian metalcore. One of the best things about Kingdom Days is the band's fusion of California metalcore with the swagger of Southern groove metal: when they move into the standard hardcore breakdown, they do it with the sluggish, pounding attitude of Pantera. Tommy Green brings his usual macho, sermonizing yells, while the rest of the group hold everything together beneath the album's punishing riffs. This includes a good amount of (usually very Christian) group choruses. One thing that starts to stick out is that hearing the words "Jesus" or "hallelujah" screamed or sung in a hardcore chorus is always slightly jolting, if you're accustomed to eviler metal. I've got nothing against Christian values and to be fair, when bands truly embrace Satan, there's always something slightly comical about it. But while most of Kingdom Days is a pulverizing experience, at times the Christian proselytizing can be a bit too earnest, detracting from Sleeping Giant's best heavy assets. That said, perhaps metal is the most appropriate musical genre to capture the energy and spiritual intensity of one of the world's most passionate and zealous religions. Either way, Kingdom Days in an Evil Age is a pounding, heavy album that deserves a listen.