No intro, no warning, just fuzz and lift-off. Feels like HOWLING GIANT finally got the mics pointed in the right direction – real air moving, not that boxy home stuff. You can hear the sticks hit, the amps breathe, somebody probably yelling off-mic. Good sign!
HOWLING GIANT are still a heavy, fuzzy, psych-tinged rock band, but with Crucible & Ruin it’s like they slammed a few more amps in the room and let the whole thing melt together.
It’s stoner, yeah, but not lazy. Doom-y moments, psychedelic swirls, riffs that hug the low end and bounce against each other.
They don’t just play “heavy” – they stretch, push, almost warp the songs with some spacey synths and second guitar lines.
The new dude, Zambrano, adds those touches. Doesn’t overdo it. Just enough to give the tracks this extra weight and weird color.
Lyrics are still in the god/chaos/cosmic playground, but it’s more about how it sounds than what it says.
Thick riffs, grooves that drag but don’t stop, little bursts of freak-out noise here and there.
It’s rock that wants to be felt in the chest, stoner/doom/psych all tangled together, like the band is experimenting while still keeping it stompy.
You can tell it’s live in spots, which is part of the charm. It’s warm, messy, loud, and the kind of heavy rock that makes you crank the volume even if the neighbors hate it.
Not sure if it’s their “best” record – who even cares. It’s the one that sounds most like them, a four-piece firing on all cylinders.
Stopped thinking, just played. That’s the sound of HOWLING GIANT right now!
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Released by Magnetic Eye Records on October 31, 2025
