Band: Sleeping Giant
Title: Sons of Thunder
Label: Facedown
Release Date: 2009
Review By: Stephen M
1. Gang Signs
2. No One Leaves This Room Sick
3. Sons of Thunder
4. Descending Into Hell
5. The Streets Don’t Lie
6. The Army of the Chosen One
7. I’ve Seen
8. Confession
9. He Will Reign
Every now and then you will run into a band that will blow your mind, heart and spirit – Sleeping Giant is that band. Sleeping Giant can be best described as a spirit filled, hardcore, worship band. These guys bring some of the best elements of hardcore and worship, fusing them together to create a superior sound that will be sure to keep you coming back for more.
What makes this album epic are the lyrics and passion behind them. There aren’t many bands around that start off a song with a Bible verse. The song “Sons of Thunder” kicks off with Thom quoting from the Gospel of Matthew. Another example is in the song “No One Leaves This Room Sick”.
He’ll fight me – This is the war I was made for – Love over all – Fight me – In this hollow faithless, shattered reality – I’ll never fall – Immanuel – I am not my own – Immanuel – I am not alone – Move from the slave state – Into the moment, of youth speaking the earth’s fate – The highest truth – Though our number is small – We’re slowing growing and we head only the King’s call – As He declares – I must have, all the hopeless – I hold the pure staff – Shepherd of truth – Trust my work in you – As you believe me, I entrust myself too.
I could imagine the energy at a Sleeping Giant concert – everyone jumping up and down shouting along with the lyrics, praying together with the band, and ultimately bringing glory to God. It would be amazing.
One of the problems I had with “Sons Of Thunder” was that the CD was too short. All in all, it ran around the forty minute mark, which is about average but the problem comes in when a couple of the songs seem to drag on for too long and become repetitive. I found myself wanting to fast forward at times, which can shrink forty minutes of music (of course I border on ADHD when it comes to listening to music, so take this criticism for what it’s worth).
In “The Army of the Chosen One”, it was cool because it was like I was listening to Demon Hunter infused with Sleeping Giant, thanks to Ryan Clark. Songs like “Gang Signs”, “No One Leaves This Room Sick”, “Sons of Thunder”, “Confession” and “He Will Reign” leave you feeling like your cup was filled and that you have just finished taking a deep drink of living water (kind of the same experience you get when really connecting with a passage in the Bible). Reading the lyrics and listening to the music was uplifting and invigorating. This is a band with a mission, and let me be the one to say, “mission complete”.
[MYSPACE]