ALBUM REVIEW: All In Good Time – Giant Walker

After individually relocating 300 miles to work on their craft, the progressive rock entity known as GIANT WALKER originally hail from Newcastle. Bounded together by their Northern heritage and shared love of bands such as DEFTONES, KARNIVOOL and SOUNDGARDEN, the quartet had originally written music under the name XERO. Written during the lockdown of 2020, the band’s upcoming debut album All In Good Time sees them explore the all-too-relatable theme of self-isolation. With this in mind, the album sweeps you off into a dystopian reality, where the music highlights the many lows of loneliness, despite being in a world that is permanently connected. Utilising big, modern metal riffs alongside melancholic, sombre melodies within intricate soundscapes, this is an album to help you dig deep and get you through the hard times.

Whilst the band have labelled themselves as a progressive rock band, it is fair to say that they have undersold themselves, because there is a significant amount of heavy metal being thrown around on All In Good Time. In what feels like an angsty yet ambitious fusion between DEFTONES and TESSERACT, the Geordie quartet seem to have a touched upon a niche gap within the alternative music spectrum. In an emotive sense, GIANT WALKER have a powerful vulnerability and raw honesty that a lot of people will surely connect with.

Throughout the album, Steff Fish’s vocals shine through the articulate and precise riffing. Passionate and packed with emotion, the vocal dynamics effortlessly ebb and flow, from intimate and thought-provoking to powerful and hair raising. Given the fusion of their influences, GIANT WALKER have definitely managed to create a thought-provoking set of songs that showcases progressive metal in an interesting light with the addition of the gritty DEFTONES-esque style riffs and atmospherics.

When considering the conceptual themes of All In Good Time, there is a tangible melancholy that transcends the album. The desperate craving for social interaction and connection we feel when we are starved of it through isolation is palpable in the album’s melodies. With everything mounting on top of us it can be hard not to lose your head but this album serves to prevent that. As a result all the emotions we’ve experienced whilst living in this dystopian reality, which in some ways we are still living through, are at the forefront of this record. With all these factors in mind, the overall emotional aspect of the album is deeply intense, and considering this is a debut release it shows a maturity beyond the band’s years and an understanding of how they want their audience to feel.

Leading single The Fact The Fiction opens up the album with an infectious riff that sets the tone for the rest of the record. The dark and brooding track is packed full of precise rhythms and a soaring vocal atmosphere that instantly captivates you. As you progress through the album, there are a couple of stand out quieter tracks that showcase the band’s full atmospheric capabilities. Inertia and Past The Peak take on a TESSERACT vibe – deeply atmospheric with delicate, intricate melodies that allow the vocals to really shine through with power and intensity.

Optophobia fits into the dystopian theme as it is the fear of opening one’s eyes, and as a result the song is the eeriest one on the album as it asks “what can you see?”. Whilst there are a fair amount of positives to take away from the album, unfortunately the majority of the songs follow the same riff-writing formula and song structure, making the album feel frustratingly predictable in some sections and at a cost to its momentum and interest. The vocal melodies are what gives the album it’s sense of variety, as they constantly evolve throughout.

All In Good Time is a solid debut effort and GIANT WALKER have a lot of potential going forward. The band have an innate understanding of how to channel complex emotions into hard hitting and thought-provoking songs, but they just need a little more time to find their feet. GIANT WALKER have definitely touched on something new, which is exciting as the band move into their next phase.

Rating: 7/10

All In Good Time is set for release on May 13th via self-release.

Like GIANT WALKER on Facebook.