“Sleeping Giant” was always a song I singled out on Mastodon‘s Blood Mountain. After two thrashy, loud tracks, “Sleeping Giant” slows the pace and raises the atmosphere, sharing bulky riffs and creepy leads. Its name aptly captures its role on Blood Mountain, feeling like the beginnings of an album (and a band) with giant ambitions. Speaking of slow rises, Sleeping Giant from Iceland have finally risen for their first LP after forming in 2006.
It’s highly likely that this muddy stoner-doom sextet draws its name from Blood Mountain‘s song, given that they cite early Mastodon as a sonic reference point. Although it would be unfair to expect The Beauty of Obliteration to make as big a first impression as Remission, it’s more than fair to expect a debut with punishing riffs, difficult vocals and some curves.
“The Beauty of Obliteration” demonstrates exceptional skill in the riffs. That may be because Sleeping Giant—extending the saying that “two heads are better than one”—work with three heads. Guitarists Finnbogi Jökull, Árni Björn Björnsson and Guðmundur Eiríksson handle an arsenal of doomy dirges (“Conqueror”), stonery shuffles (“Abysmal Flame”) and thrashy attacks (“Venom Ripper, Gorgon Blaster”). Some of those riffs even go straight to the source, boasting a Sabbathy swagger (“The Monk”). Early Mastodon certainly echoes throughout their delivery, but the guitar work makes it clear these Icelanders are also High on Fire. Indeed, the recurring alternations between stoner-doom and thrash, combined with the loud guitar tones, invite the presence of the modern Matt Pike. But Sleeping Giant aren’t just the three-headed monster of their guitars. Drummer Ásmundur Jóhannsson and bassist Einar Darri Einarsson hold down the low frequencies. Einarsson especially shines, tastefully filling the negative space with blues parts (“Conqueror”).
Sleeping Giant‘s lineup is completed by singer Oddur Freyr Þorsteinsson, who gives The Beauty of Obliteration a death metal hue. Calling the band death-doom, though, wouldn’t be accurate—”necrotic stoner-doom” is my best attempt to describe the band layering an extreme aesthetic over a mostly traditional style of riffing. Þorsteinsson has a powerful guttural, reminding me of the low ends of Travis Ryan and Randy Blythe. He even dips into some gooey gurgling on “The Monk” as he shifts to a faster, more melodic speed. Although those gurgles provide contrast, it’s a contrast that doesn’t necessarily add to or emphasize the part. That gurgling is a microcosm of how I feel about the vocals on The Beauty of Obliteration as a whole. They’re well-performed and don’t openly clash with the orchestration, and yet I’m not sure they do anything other than label Sleeping Giant as “extreme.”
As a unit, Sleeping Giant have created a debut that moves between riff styles, for better or worse. “Conqueror” and “Mobilizer of Evil” map out the ground the rest of the album explores, showing a band comfortable with both low and high BPMs. “The Monk” comes closest to the unstable glory of early Mastodon, though its shift from doom to thrash feels a little unnecessary, even this early in the album.
The biggest curve on The Beauty of Obliteration is its penultimate track, “Venom Rippers, Gorgon Blaster.” A thrash ripper under three minutes, it’s a refreshing change of pace from tracks that otherwise range between four and nine minutes. It’s also an effective transition between the orgiastic riff festival of “Slay the King of Hell” (my favorite track) and the more recent one. “Abysmal Flame” starts strong with a bulky monkey riff that transforms into an almost melodeath-style earworm. The sparse, reactive ending, however, is a disappointing farewell.
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Their self-titled album may create unrealistic expectations, but Sleeping Giant pulled it all off with their long-awaited debut. With 6 tracks in 35 minutes, The Beauty of Obliteration is a tight, well-written package with tons of memorable riffs. Although the songwriting isn’t bad at all, the riffs themselves seem more remarkable than the songs containing them. The gutturals give Sleeping Giant a different atmosphere from typical stoner-doom, but I hope future releases will see the vocals actively serve the songs more. If you like giant riffs, you won’t want to sleep with these Icelanders.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR : 7 | Format reviewed : V4 Or ~316 kb/s VBR mp3
Label : Octopus Rising (sub-label of Argonauta Records)
Websites : Bandcamp | Facebook | Instagram
Releases worldwide : February 6, 2026
