Review: Sons Of Ghidorah ‘Hallowmas’

When I see a comment in a press release that states that they’ve ‘been compared favourably to bands such as Monster Magnet and Orange Goblin’ then it is always going to pique my interest as I’m a massive fan of stoner rock/doom music but it’s with some in trepidation that I press play and have a listen.

The above statement is about New York based trio Sons Of Ghidorah, who have lots of different musical influences ranging from Black Sabbath to David Bowie and have shared the same stage with other bands that I enjoy, including The Obsessed, Gozu and the utterly fabulous Clouds Taste Satanic. With a background of singing and playing in thrash and punk bands, you can feel that influence from vocalist and guitarist Mark Giuliano and the trio combine exceptionally well throughout this thirteen-song album Hallowmas.

The onslaught begins with Dante’s Waltz and has the vice trapped in a head crushing feeling, with the drums being pounded by Michael Lillard and bass being plucked expertly by Christopher Konys, who also adds vocals. It’s a decent start to the album and is followed by some guitar wizardry on Black Manchuria, where you can hear that thrash heartbeat at the start to get the feet tapping and head banging.

However, it’s with the next song, Her Fire Burns where I feel they really let loose and play with additional whisky-swilling swagger more akin to Orange Goblin. The introduction of a keyboard section from Konys adds more of a progressive edge, but then they halt the momentum with Trial Of Zod. Thankfully they obey the riff once again, with the slow, crunchy number Fall Of Krypton which sees more focus on the sombre vocal and intricate bass playing.

whisky-swilling swagger…

JOIN is further proof of their excellent musicianship as it flows effortlessly and has more keyboards to add extra atmosphere where it is needed without detracting from the guitar and bass elements. It’s probably my favourite song on the album, and they continue this with She Slips Away and Peace Of Mind. The songs aren’t massively riff heavy, but seem to rely more on the melody, which feels right for them, as they do it oh so well.

Search For Water has another catchy riff flowing throughout but has a couple of strange musical notes which I can’t fathom why it is there as it blemishes the song, but with Satan You Owe Me there are no such distractions, and the bass is front and centre once again quashing everything in its path.

With the end of the album in sight, we get the slower paced song Absolution and it’s a bit of a weighty number that has that heavy cumbersome feel. It allows the bass to shine, followed by a decent solo, and has been mixed well to make a fine sounding song.

They end with organs blasting out for the title track Hallowmas ahead of the drums taking charge, with more pulsating bass notes illuminating the music. It moves along at a decent pace, no plodding, the riff is heavy, more ambient keyboard notes are added and with the short Outro it rounds off a very decent album from the power trio.

Label: Argonauta Records
Band Links: Official | Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram

Scribed by: Matthew Williams