An innovative progressive debut – review of “Presence” by Kick The Giant

What a glorious thing is music. It can be shaped, formed and performed in so many forms, and while I enjoy being critical and severe when reviewing records, this time I most definitely can’t. That is because Finnish progressive metal band Kick The Giant have prepared something truly spectacular with their debut record. So much so that, while listening to it, it didn’t even cross my mind to think it was their first album.

And instead, “Presence” is indeed their entry ticket into the music industry. The songs flow easily one after the other, and time passes while the listening experience is very smooth. The creativity, innovation and courage that Kick The Giant have to push the boundaries of the music, like merging typical progressive sounds with hard rock, stoner, symphonic and electronic elements… it’s a stroke of genius.

Their bold attitude to encapsulate so many different components has paid off; not every artist could have successfully done this, but apparently, they can. And I will urge them never to stop because it’s just with true effort, passion and commitment that brilliant artists are revealed. From what I could gather, the road they are paving goes in the right direction.

Tracks like “Mountain of Nothing” and “Overture” are the perfect example of the versatility that the group has. Their profound understanding of the art gives them the freedom to present elaborate and elegant compositions while being still enjoyable and relatable for even the amateur listener. It’s also unusual for a band to have each member singing vocals or backing vocals, so this is something that we must praise as well!

I have to, unfortunately, state a minor flaw in the record: while “Presence” is their debut record, should Kick The Giant in the future invest in even better mixing, mastering and production, their sophomore album would get a perfect score in my opinion. The raw sound of the album could also be intentional, in which case my statement would be not necessary (but, as a music reviewer, such is my task).

In conclusion, mark your calendars for July 5th and you’ll see why I am praising this Finnish band so much. They have been able to give the progressive term a broader definition, including what others might leave behind. For all prog fans, this is a release to be added to every playlist. Long live Kick The Giant!

Tracklist:

1. Presence 
2. Statement
3. Out Of Time
4. Overture
5. Damned Or Divine
6. Stop Signs
7. Distant Memories
8. Mountain Of Nothing