Over a decade after the advent of the first “Spirit-filled hardcore” movement, Sleeping Giant helped kick off a second wave of the movement, sometimes referred to as “preachcore.” There is now actually a third wave of Spirit-filled hardcore happening now, but that is a story for another day.
The first wave was spearheaded by bands like Southern California’s Focused, Unashamed, and No Innocent Victim, as well as Florida’s Strongarm, Cleveland’s Six Feet Deep and Arizona’s Overcome. Each of those bands featured different takes on the genre but what they had in common was a deep commitment to sharing Christ through the music.
Sleeping Giant upped the ante by creating full-on worship sets but anchored in a metallic hardcore sound that sometimes dabbled in sludge and at other times just really loud worship tunes. Unlike some bands who start out with a strong commitment to faith but later soften around the edges, Sleeping Giant seemed to get bolder and more vocal as they went on, frequently closing their albums with lengthy worship tunes.
“Blame it on the Holy Rollers” was the first song I heard from the band, and the one that has always stuck with me. While their sound changed over the years, and got more melodic, there’s just something about that low, dirty-sounding bass and chunky rhythms that gets me going.