Giant Walker want to open up prog metal to the masses. “Someone who wouldn’t necessarily listen to rock or metal liking our music would be a win,” says drummer Alex Black. “I think prog, by itself, can be very pigeonholey. The fanbase can be sort of niche, as well. We’re maintaining an element of prog, but hopefully still being accessible.”
Listen to the Newcastle four-piece’s second album, Silhouettes, and you’ll agree. They unload nine tight, focused and catchy songs, emphasising cathartic groove and impressive melodies without losing sight of progressive music’s discipline.
Opening cut Time To Waste is quick to bring out singer Steff Fish’s near-operatic vocals, her refined voice and singalong hooks starkly contrasted by Jamie Southern’s grungy, downtuned riffing. Meanwhile, Black and bassist Jordan Gregory lay down a swaggering rhythm section.
It’s an infectious mixture influenced not only by prog, but names as far-flung as Deftones and Soundgarden. Giant Walker’s approachable sound is shaped by, and in protest against, their education. Fish and Southern are the linchpins of the band, having co-founded it and been friends since childhood. The line-up was finalised during the collective’s time studying at the Academy Of Contemporary Music in London.
We’re getting away from ‘Oh, you just sound like a bunch of music students.’ We’re focusing on songwriting
“I think that’s probably one of the big things about us that’s changed,” says Fish. “Studying music, you’ve got a lot of stuff to draw from, in terms of just chucking a lot of stuff in. Then it’s just a matter of maturing. You know when to use it a bit more and when you feel like you can strip things back a lot more. How much do you take away?”
Black adds: “We’re getting away from ‘Oh, you just sound like a bunch of music students.’ We’re focusing much more on songwriting, I think.”
Giant Walker released their debut album, All In Good Time, in 2022. They wrote it while locked down during the pandemic, and Fish admits its lyrics were strongly impacted by current events. “I was very much influenced by the apocalyptic nature of it all,” she says.
She co-wrote the lyrics on follow-up LP Silhouettes with Southern, and feels they’re are less dark and thematic. The lead single is about overcoming adversity and those who delight in your failures. “I really love co-writing, bouncing ideas back and forth,” Fish explains. It’s cool if I have part of a song, in terms of a lyric, then him taking that vibe and then seeing what he’s done with the bridge.”
After Silhouettes’ release, Giant Walker hope to tour prolifically. Their dream bookings would be slots at hard rock mega-festivals Download and Hellfest. From those springboards, bringing prog metal to as many mainstream ears as possible shouldn’t be too hard, right?
