With cover art that reminds of the old '80s cult horror film classic Humanoids From the Deep, the new self-released album from Texas progressive death metal act Giant of the Mountain, titled Moon Worship, does all it sets out to do, and more. They list their influences as "the black depths of the abyss", and all things considered, their music takes you on a harrowing, horrific journey, as intricate musical passages intrigue your senses while the sheer brutality of it all satisfies your need for extreme metal aggression. The opening title track, at nearly 10-minutes long, takes you on an adventure through complex technical death metal ala classic Death or Amon Amarth, as well as pulverizing early Mastodon styled progressive sludge. The acoustic guitars on "Terror in its Purest Form" recall Opeth, before crushing riffs and violent growls bash your brains in. "Cult of the Moon" is a haunting slice of folk metal, while "Flesh Divinity" amps up the speed thanks to some furious blast beats and raging riffs. Perhaps the most fascinating track here is "Call to the Depths", a dramatic instrumental that fuses folk, prog-rock, doom, and death metal, complete with some really cool guitar passages. Giant of the Mountain are a band with a ton of talent, and I'll bet some of the major heavy metal labels will be knocking on their door after sampling Moon Worship.
Track Listing
1) Moon Worship
2) Spiral of the Serpent
3) Terror in its Purest Form
4) Cult of the Moon
5) Flesh Divinity
6) Call to the Depths
7) Ending