Review Summary: Another interesting debut from this high energy band. Kingdom of Giants are filled with passion to create unique music.
Abominable was such an interesting piece of work. I think the band had an idea of what they wanted to sound like from the start and nailed it perfectly with their debut EP. With using different punk influences and combining it with today's metalcore, Kingdom of Giants portrayed an unique sound that was just raw and gritty. They created a sound that I can only compare to a cross between bands like A Skylit Drive and Vanna; and strongly inspired by the beloved album "Translating The Name" by Saosin. As you can see, they concepted an artistic sound and it's an EP that really clung to me.
But of course in this obscure scene, the band lost a couple of signature members and for some reason they forgot their foundation of their musical roots. So before this debut album released, I knew they would change their sound tremendously. So I had the lowest of expectation when deciding to actually listen to this album. So I forced myself to give this a listen and after the first time around I was very surprised. Yes I was right, it sounded nothing like "Abominable" but they did create a sound that was passable. My expectations was they were going to go for what was more marketable, like using generic breakdowns and synths. But thank God they didn't and they actually stuck with the same gameplan.
Overall, the album is great. They aimed for a more distinguished sound of basic metalcore, very less experimental. They've created an up-tempo environment throughout the whole album, accompanied with surprisingly; great breakdowns. They actually composed creative breakdowns I have never heard from another mediocre scene band, so props up to that. Another strong point of the album is that it can be very melodic, adding interesting melodic riffs after and before breakdown and introducing haunting keyboards really creates an emotional and dreamy atmosphere throughout. The album is mainly heavy but it has no problem sharing their melodic ingredients, which intertwines very well. "Hope" is an interesting interlude that takes a break from the normal metalcore and basically resets the album. "Voltage" and "Broken Ocean" are two tracks that divide the soft and heavy aspects very nicely. The guitar riffs are satisfying to listen to, I get a sense that the riffs were inspired by the band Architects because it sounds very similar to Hollow Crown. I know this sounds weird but there's not much of a downside to this album. The only criticism I can make is that the album doesn't leave an impression. There's a couple tracks that stand out and each track is acceptable but the album is forgettable. In other words, it doesn't have a very high replay value.
It's sad to know that the unique musical sound of "Abominable" is ruptured. But in the end, they did bounced back and delivered a powerful debut. Every Wave Of Sound is a fun ride. Here are some recommended tracks: Obstacles, Voltage, In Focus, Broken Ocean, Delusionist and Hope.
