Artist Report | Howling Giant

Published on 24 March 2026 at 06:00

“The Band Bringing Space Opera to Stoner Metal"

(Artist Report)

Written by: Ginny Gaines

If you walked into Nashville, Tennessee expecting nothing but country music, you might be surprised to stumble into a loud, dimly lit room where the walls shake with heavy riffs and cosmic soundscapes. That’s where the story of Howling Giant really begins. Three guys, Tom Polzine, Zach Wheeler, and Micah Hulscher, found each other through the local scene sometime around 2014. They weren’t trying to follow trends or fit into Nashville’s usual mold. They just wanted to play loud, heavy music and tell stories that felt bigger than everyday life. And not just any stories, but stories about space, fantasy, strange worlds, and mysterious forces.

Early on, they came up with something that would set them apart: a wild, almost sci-fi fantasy idea called the “Black Hole Space Wizard.” Instead of just writing random songs, they started building a world. Their early EPs, Black Hole Space Wizard: Part 1 and Part 2, felt like chapters in a strange cosmic book. You didn’t just listen to them… you sort of entered them.

The music matched that feeling too. It could be slow and heavy one minute, then open up into something almost dreamy the next. Think big, crushing guitar riffs mixed with the kind of atmosphere that makes you feel like you’re drifting through space. Bands like Mastodon or The Sword walk similar ground, but Howling Giant always felt a little more like storytellers building their own universe from scratch.

By the time they released their first full album, The Space Between Worlds in 2019, something clicked. The songs were tighter. The melodies stuck with you more. But they didn’t lose the heaviness or the imagination. Tracks like “Comet Rider” felt like driving fast through the desert… if that desert happened to be on another planet. They were no longer just a cool underground band, they were becoming something people paid real attention to.

After that, the band didn’t just repeat themselves. With their 2021 EP Alteration, things got a little darker and more experimental. You could tell they were pushing themselves, trying new sounds, new moods, new ways to say what they wanted to say. Then came Glass Future in 2023, and it felt like a big step forward. Instead of just fantasy and space adventures, the themes hit a little closer to home: technology taking over, people losing touch with themselves, and a future that feels a little uncertain. The music followed suit; still heavy, still powerful, but sharper and more direct. Like they’d figured out exactly who they were and how to say it.

If you ask fans, they’ll tell you the real magic happens live, on stage. Howling Giant isn’t the kind of band that just stands there and plays. Their shows feel alive, loud, tight, and full of energy. The songs stretch out, breathe, and sometimes hit even harder than they do on record. It’s the kind of performance where you don’t just hear the music; you feel it in your chest.

Today, Howling Giant sits in an interesting place. They’re part of a newer wave of heavy rock bands bringing life back to riff-driven music, alongside acts like Baroness. But they’re not just copying what came before. They’re building something of their own, something with stories, atmosphere, and real personality.

At the end of the day, Howling Giant is a band that proves heavy music doesn’t have to be one-dimensional. It can be: loud and aggressive, thoughtful and imaginative, but, fun and meaningful at the same time. They started as three guys in Nashville playing heavy riffs. Now, they’re creating entire worlds with their music. And the story they’re telling still feels like it’s just getting started.

That will do it for this report on Howling Giant. Thank you for reading and in closing, please know, Soundwave Music Media will be here and we will always do our best to bring you the rock music report. Please consider supporting our Soundwave Foundation with a donation! Rock On! Until next time...🤘

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