Tuesday 26 July 2016

"Black Holes & Space Wizards: An Interview with Zach Wheeler & Premiere of Howling Giant's "Dirtmouth"


To say to this band blew me away the minute their music hit my ear holes, would be a damned understatement, this giant, a hybrid of many different styles are recommended if your followers of bands such as ELDER, RED FANG, MELVINS, BARONESS, RUSH.   On August 12 Nashville, TN Fuzz Rockers HOWLING GIANT will release their new EP “Black Hole Space Wizard: Part 1” and today at The Sludgelord marks the debut of brand new music from their forthcoming EP, as we premiere of the ball busting track “Dirthmouth”.

But before you go reaching reach for the Listerine, we hooked up with Drummer Zach Wheeler from the band, to get a brief low down on the inception of the band and what we can expect from their new four track EP.  Check it out.  




SL: Can you give us a brief history of your playing career to date leading up to the formation of your band and release of your current record?

Zach: We all met in college and were in different bands, so we needed to find a way to de-stress from all of the serious band business. That is how Howling Giant was born (under a different moniker at the time, SKLDZR). As these other projects fell apart for all of us, we decided to spend a little more time writing and we eventually moved from Boston to Nashville. When we got to Nashville we recorded our first EP in Tom's bedroom and started playing around town and travelling on weekends every once and a while. We were lucky enough to get selected for the Converse Rubber tracks program and that’s where we started on this current EP, “Black Hole Space Wizard Part 1”. We recorded instrumentals in Converse's studios and finished the record in various bedrooms in Nashville.

SL: What can you tell us about your upcoming record and where do you feel it sits within the context current doom scene

Zach: Each song has its own vibe, but it’s all tied together by the story. We draw influences from prog, stoner, desert, psych, and doom. When we wrote this EP we didn’t strive to create a sound that fits into any one genre. We tend to write music that is fun to play and in the case of this concept, each song supports a scene of pulp science fiction within the “Black Hole Space Wizard” universe. The overall vibe of the story is steeped in doom and dismay from the point of the almost eradicated human race. While we are by no means a traditional doom band, the genre has probably had the most influence on us for this specific release.

SL: What was the mood in the camp going into the recording of the record

Zach: We had been working on the Black hole space wizard concept for a while but weren’t sure when we would have the opportunity to record it. When Converse invited us to record for their Rubber Tracks program we were so pumped, and we knew that this was the perfect opportunity to get the ball rolling on part 1. We had a blast recording with Dave Minehan, who really helped us find our spirit animals during this recording. 

SL: What can fans look forward to from you over the next 12 months? How is your schedule shaping up?

Zach:  Over the next 12 months we will be writing and recording parts 2 and 3 of this EP series. We want to try to stay in town for live shows for the most part, with small weekend tours so that we can focus all of our energy on writing and recording




Black Hole Space Wizard: Part 1” track listing:

1). Mothership
2). Exodus Earth
3). Dirtmouth
4). Clouds of Smoke

Band info: facebook || bandcamp