Giant Walker

Bouncy Newcastle proggers out to make their genre as accessible as possible

Giant Walker want to open up prog metal to the masses. “Someone who wouldn’t necessarily listen to rock or metal liking our music, that would be a win,” says the Newcastle four-piece’s drummer, Alex Black. “I think prog, by itself, is very pigeonholey. The fan-base can be sort of niche, as well. We’re maintaining that element of prog, but still being accessible.”

Listen to Giant Walker’s new album, //Silhouettes//, and you’ll agree. On their second LP, the band unload nine tight, focussed 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 both shaped by and in protest against their education. Fish and Southern are the lynchpins of the band, having co-founded it and been friends since childhood. The lineup was finalised during the Newcastle collective’s time at the Academy Of Contemporary Music in London, where they all studied at the same time.

“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, like, 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?”

“We’re getting away from the whole, like, ‘Oh, you just sound like a bunch of music students,’” adds Black. “We’re focussing much more on songwriting, I think.”

Giant Walker released their debut album, //All In Good Time//, in 2021. The band wrote the record while locked down and apart during the pandemic, and Fish admits that its lyrics were strongly impacted by Covid. “I was very much influenced by lockdown and the apocalyptic nature of it all,” she says. The singer co-wrote the lyrics on //Silhouettes// with Southern, however, and the lyrics are less dark and thematic. The lead single, the title track, is about overcoming adversity and those who delight in your failures.

“I really love co-writing and just 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 that’s what he’s done with the bridge. So, yeah, I wouldn’t say that there’s a specific theme [to //Silhouettes//’ lyrics].”

After //Silhouettes//’ release, Giant Walker hope to tour prolifically. Their dream bookings, the band say, 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? MM

PROG FILE

LINE-UP: Steff Fish (vocals), Jamie Southern (guitars), Jordan Gregory (bass), Alex Black (drums)

SOUNDS LIKE: Groovy prog riffs condensed into tight, episodic songs

CURRENT RELEASE: Silhouettes is out on September 20 via Church Road.

WEBSITE: www.giantwalker.co.uk

— Matt Mills