Dead Heretic

Black Sky Giant. Just let that sink in for a bit. Ruminate on it. Blasting out of Rosario, Argentina, Black Sky Giant bring a unique vibe to the psychedelic instrumental soundscape. With their album Planet Terror, they get properly Lovecraftian in their cosmic horror.

The Cthulhu image on the cover is, really, about as far as the pure Lovecraft gets before peyote kicks in and rips open a gate into the darkest reaches of your mind. This is the soundtrack to the best trips you ever had and never wanted. BSG plunge you right into some wild, wavy and wibbly sounds. Planet Terror stacks up to just under thirty-seven minutes, but the ride is epic.

At times soulful and calm, BSG ease you into some rhythmic soup for the soul. At other times, the power chords ramp up and the energy gets all the more Cthulhu-sticking-his-tentacles-in-your-eye-sockets frenetic, with pumping drums making sure you get the message and the feels. Without overloading you with thirty different instruments, BSG keep is simple and keep it real. Guitars, bass and drums are all they do and they do them exceptionally well.

Some of the tracks bring H.P. Lovecraft to the centre of the stage. “Yithian time travellers” and “Ulameth (endbringer)” are two of the songs that do that to brutal levels. “Ulameth” is sombre, heavy and dark in every note and beat. The constant presence of a cymbal merely highlights the depths to which you have sunk in this cosmic voyage of unspeakable terror. You are left with no doubt you are the trespasser on planet that has long been the domain of beings far above us in the foodchain.

Black Sky Giant have carved out a monstrous album of rhythms and vibes that oddly calm the mind, given the utter horrors it is evoking. BSG are one of my surprise finds of 2023. Planet Terror continues their drive towards awesome sounds and cosmic vistas for the mind.