Band: Face Your Giants
Title: Demo
Label: N/A
Release Date: 2009
Review By: Scott L
Tracklisting:
- Breath Of A Ghost
- Overcoming
- This Is Our Pain
Can I start this review off with what I believe is a piece of sound, constructive advice directly to the band? Change your name. And quick. If you want any kind of individual credibility you can’t be seen as trying to slip into the spotlight via borrowed name recognition. Even if that’s not what you intended. Even if you were just reading about David and Goliath and the name struck you like a smooth stone to the forehead. Trust me, just because The Devil Wears Prada pulled it off, doesn’t mean that’s the new short-cut to success. Alright, I’m done. We’re still palls, right? Cool.
Face Your Giants is a 5-piece out of Terre Haute, Indiana that grinds out a heavy melodic hardcore sound along the lines of I Killed The Prom Queen or Silent Civilian. While these guys may not be big on originality, they do have a knack for putting together some nice music. With a mix of clean and rough vocals, lightning fast galloping guitars, and a penchant for big cymbal crashes, this 3-song demo is a well put together glimpse into what these guys have to offer.
Production is a little weak, but then again… this is a demo. And for a demo, it sounds pretty good. How’s that for a turn around? Heavy on the high end and in desperate need of some touch ups vocally, this is still a micro-EP that’s worth your time to check out.
Lyrically, Face Your Giants doesn’t use the industry standard tactic of choosing humorous but ridiculously long song titles and then fill them with messages all about nothing. Rather, they keep things short and sharp and aren’t afraid to bring in the spiritual guns. Consider the song “Overcoming” which says, “I was told I was made to stand and fight / I was made a survivor built to endure these plights / we’ve all seen the broken paths / filled with empty promises / and great heartache / am I doomed to walk that path again / you know I can’t help it / can I be reconciled to you my friend / you were sent to be my Savior / so I could beat the odds / you came to save me from what I became / the past is just that / it means nothing to me / I am nothing without you in my heart / your love it consumes me / we’ve all seen the broken paths / filled with empty promises / and great heartache / I’m not destined to that fate / with my God in the driver’s seat / the captain’s standing now / I’m at the helm / you were sent to be my Savior / so I could beat the odds / you came to save me from what I became”.
The standout track, of the three, was “Breath Of A Ghost”. It packs a punch right from the start and doesn’t let up until the final growl.
Overall: Face Your Giants aren’t covering any new ground, but they do manage to walk the well-trodden path they’re on with poise and grace. It’s worth a listen… and last I hear, they were offering the demo for free.. which is tough to turn down.
www.myspace.com/faceyourgiants
