Review: Walking With Giants- Worlds Unknown

Just about every diehard music fan and pretty much anyone that has ever played a musical instrument has some kind of fantasy about jamming with their heroes, but sadly very few will ever get to live out that dream. Every once in a while though the planets align just right and one lucky musician gets to do what all the others wish they could. Amazingly that’s what happened to a singer/guitarist by the name of Gary Noon. What started as a tribute to some of his favorite bands has evolved into something that is turning heads throughout the music community and demands your immediate attention. By a strange twist of fate, Noon was introduced to Sevendust’s Clint Lowery through a mutual friend. Over time the two developed a friendship and musical bond and decided to work on something together and the aptly titled Walking With Giants was born. The duo recruited the former Creed and current Alter Bridge rhythm section of bassist Brian Marshall and drummer Scott Phillips. With the lineup in place they set about writing and recording songs for what would become their self-titled debut EP. The album received critical acclaim across the board from fans and critics alike. Based on that success they quickly entered the studio to record their second EP One by One, which also garnered praise from the musical masses. Wasting no time, they entered the studio yet again to record their first full length album Worlds Unknown.  The album begins with “Worlds Unknown Pt.1,” a slowly building intro with piano as the focal point and given the players involved, it should come as no surprise that musically “Broken Truth” and “Different Voice” draw inspiration from Creed and Alter Bride, but what may surprise you are Noon’s vocals. Which lean more towards Tyler Connolly from Theory Of A Deadman than they do that of Scott Stapp or Lajon Witherspoon, resulting in further depth of sound. That Theory Of A Deadman vibe bleeds through on lead single and video for “Heavy Hand” and “Endless Road” and “The Now” sound so much Theory Of A Deadman that you’ll be checking the liner notes to see if they were involved in some way. Guitarist Clint Lowery and drummer Morgan Rose, who replaced Phillips in 2015 make their presence and musical influence known on songs such as “Bound,” “Guilty One” and “Solid Ground.” While “Back To Life” recalls the melodic hard rock sound of Default, who had a hit in 2001 with the song “Wasting My Time.” The album closes with the second half of the haunting melody that began it all “Worlds Unknown Pt.2.” Here’s the bottom line. With a list of players this impressive and song writing this strong, Worlds Unknown is nothing short of phenomenal. Rating: 9 out of 10 -Eric Hunker