Tuesday, 28 October 2025

Howling Giant - Crucible & Ruin (Album Review)

Release Date: October 31st 2025. Record Label: Magnetic Eye Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl

Crucible & Ruin - Tracklisting

01. Canyons

02. Hunter's Mark

03. Archon

04. Lesser Gods

05. Beholder I: Downfall

06. Archivist

07. Scepter and Scythe

08. Melchor's Bones

09. The Observatory

10. Beholder II: Labyrinth


Member


Tom Polzine – guitar, vocals

Zach Wheeler – drums, vocals

Sebastian Baltes – bass, vocals

Adrian Lee Zambrano – guitars, synthesizers


Guest musicians


Kim Wheeler – additional synths and EWI on 'The Observatory'

Adam Nohe – additional percussion on 'Beholder I: Downfall'


Review


It only feels like yesterday when I was reviewing Howling Giant’s last record Glass Future back in October 2023 but fast forward two years later the band have returned with Crucible & Ruin. This time round Howling Giant have delivered a more riff driven and psych driven affair which is perhaps to the addition of new member Adrian Lee Zambrano on Guitars and Synths. Adrian arrived late into the writing process but has added an extra level of tantalizing synths and space rock vibes with his intelligent melodies with the music being quite grounded at the same time.


This feels like a natural evolution from Glass Future with Howling Giant fully down and highly confident with their Psychedelic and Cosmic themes being more melodic. With flashes of Ambient Rock, Post-Rock, Folk and Americana pastures with the band’s winning appetite for catchy and aggressive Doom/Stoner Metal surroundings told through a real storytelling vibe appearing within the lyrics.


Howling Giant know when to unleash a torrent of Sludge Rock sounds against their more warm natured Space Rock movements. The record is constantly changing the Psych Stoner Rock landscape with epic flashes of Progressive based sounds which becomes highly aggressive, vivid, full of life and even quite adventurous on tracks such as Canyons, Hunter’s Mark, Archon and Beholder 1: Downfall. The vocals all provided by Tom, Zach and Sebastian on different stages of the record all have their own main strengths that allows each member to fully command the limelight which is one of the main strengths of the album.


As with previous Howling Giant releases, there’s a great use of various soundbytes and sound effects along the way which can be quite DOOM & GLOOM obsessive at the best of times. This gives Crucible & Ruin an unsettling feeling on the later stages of the record even after a EUPHORIC and UPLIFTING musical number has appeared to perfectly capture the listener’s imagination.


The second half of the album sees Howling Giant proclaim their place as one of Psychedelic Stoner Metal biggest, brightest and best musical outfits to join the likes of KING BUFFALO and ELDER with a great style of cinematic vision that is once again blended against a real grounded energy on the other outstanding tracks on the album such as: Archivist, Scepter and Scythe and the haunting final track of Beholder II: Labyrinth. 


Howling Giant are master storytellers where they tell highly original and beautifully realized stories within each individual track that appears on the album. Crucible & Ruin has it all and once again sees Howling Giant releasing one of the best Psychedelic Stoner Metal records of the year. This is bound to be the record which launches Howling Giant onto bigger and better things. The Stoner Rock community already knew Howling Giant were destined for greatness now it’s time for the mainstream rock community to finally be shown the way.


Epic. End Of.


Words by Steve Howe


Thanks to Magnetic Eye Records and All Noir PR for the promo.


Crucible & Ruin is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Majestic Eye Records.
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