ALBUM REVIEW – “Finished People” by Sleeping Giant

It is anthemic, a shade repetitive, in-your-face, singularly focused and all of that is totally ok, Finished People is yet another cry for the salvation of the world from Christian hardcore (Christcore? Can that be a thing?) staples Sleeping Giant. Since 2006 the band’s no-filter style has taken zero prisoners, made no apologies and undoubtedly saved some souls along the way. In a world where plenty of bands can be said to walk a spiritual line, Sleeping Giant have stuck to their guns, even on their latest effort. This is of itself as significant as the very serious musical development the band has made over the years.

Finished People is much more a metalcore record than the band’s prior releases. The pounding breakdowns remain, but there are now more extended faster paced sections that glide into breakdowns more smoother. It’s polished and mature, befitting the band’s age and a good sign overall. There is a certain aura of darkness throughout, and it works out quite well by removing a lot of the gimmick that beatdown style hardcore can impose. Songs like the title track and “The Great Divorce” especially are snarl inducing and mosh pit inspiring, but they are not cheesy, catchy sure, but the sense of purpose is ironclad.

The big glaring weakness on Finished People is a few pieces of the album’s production. The snare drum sample is straight up Sumerian Records-esque in how loud it is in the mix, and how hard it punches the listener in the face. The album as a whole is mixed with a often times very drum heavy sound, which soils much of the experience. The biggest gripe however, easily lies with the clean vocals, which are layered/chorused several times over. If this were a modern day All That Remains record, and the band was looking to get radio play-to compensate for a loss of self respect-that would be fine. At times the amount of processing going is simply distracting and seems like an overcompensation. Given the band’s evolution and adaptation through a couple different genres, this sort of overtly digital sound is almost allowed, but that doesn’t change how dopey it sounds sometimes.

Whether this sort of blatantly evangelical (is there any other kind?) hardcore is your cup of tea or not, Sleeping Giant can lay claim to doing it far better than their peers. Whatever formula you may claim they adhere to, is merely leftover from the genre itself. Sometimes a band can sit comfortably within a specific niche and still wreck it to bits, and on Finished People, Sleeping Giant do just that. The band’s compositional techniques and talent set them apart, giving their songs more detail and complexity that can definitely be respected. The band reeks of confidence with their direction and history, and are definitely ready to head out and spread their messages to venues far and wide.

8.5/10

Max Robison