GIANT SKY – "III" & "The Further We Go The Deeper It Gets" (EN)

01 / Introduction

Giant Sky – The Trilogy Concludes

Giant Sky – III (Album cover) — Giant Sky · III

The third instalment of Giant Sky’s trilogy comes in two parts: the main album, “III”, and “The Further We Go The Deeper It Gets”, an additional helping running to more than half an hour. We will therefore look at the two parts in turn. For several years now, Giant Sky has been the brainchild of Erlend Aastad Viken, the singer, songwriter and keyboardist of Norwegian art rock outfit Soup. Giant Sky’s sound is built along similar lines. Perhaps it is not quite as demanding or challenging, but it still reflects the high standards we have always come to expect from Erlend. Once again, he has brought in various guest musicians to help shape Giant Sky’s cinematic, melodic, yet also extravagant art rock and prog.

02 / The Main Album

Giant Sky – “III”

Let us begin with the main album, “III”.

01 /It opens with “Mundane Morning”, featuring a generous dose of 1970s Genesis and Erlend’s high, melodic vocals. Pulsating drumming, keyboards, plenty of atmospheric sounds and a consistently high level of intensity immediately give the opener that familiar Giant Sky character. As so often, it becomes more bombastic and cinematic towards the end.

02 /“Nothing To Forgive Nothing To Forget” begins in more of a spoken-word style, offering spacey backing sounds and, once again, highly atmospheric keyboards. Combining programming with some very fine guitar passages, the track settles into a gentler mood towards the end, with relaxed vocals, piano and lovely melodies.

03 /“Limerence” opens with acoustic guitar, piano and a gentle vocal. It is another song with a touch of Genesis about it, gaining in intensity towards the end with a wonderfully elegiac passage.

04 /“All The Rage” picks up where that leaves off, again with acoustic guitar, but this time accompanied by a childlike female voice. It is touching, while also bringing in the crescendo-driven sound familiar from Soup.

05 /“Reveries Of Gold” takes a somewhat symphonic turn, complete with bells chiming in the background. Initially straightforward and full of positive energy, the song becomes more angular as Erlend Aastad Viken introduces plucked guitar, pounding beats and distorted synth sounds.

06 /Piano, organ and drums initially take the lead on the entirely instrumental “Fleeting Glimpse”, a brisker piece in the style of 1970s prog, featuring distorted guitar tones alongside more playful passages.

07 /Tender female vocals once again give “Sun World” a very gentle opening, before swirling keyboards take over and the pace picks up considerably. Beautiful, atmospheric melodies, another elegiac guitar solo and a distinctly folky acoustic guitar and keyboard passage round the song off wonderfully.

08 /That crescendo-driven sound returns on “Lifting Apples”, the closing track of the main album. Above all, though, it shines through its captivatingly beautiful melodies, while the vocals once again recall a young Peter Gabriel.

We move seamlessly into the second part of this double release (see below).

03 / The Second Part

Giant Sky – “The Further We Go The Deeper It Gets”

“The Further We Go The Deeper It Gets” does not sound fundamentally different from the main album, though it is perhaps a little calmer and more relaxed.

01 /“Dancing Alone” is a short instrumental piece built around piano, symphonic melancholy and melodic guitar moments.

02 /Erlend adopts a slightly lower vocal register on “Repeating Trope”, a fairly pop-oriented piece that impresses with its harmonious guitar playing. Towards the end, the vocals become distorted and the mood grows more oppressively intense.

03 /A playful piano introduction sets “Step Into The Garden” in motion. Whispered vocals and heavenly sounds captivate, while the wonderful melodies and atmospheric textures lead into a bombastic finale.

04 /“Compassion WIth Worms” is a calm, balanced number with a slightly mystical feel and symphonic, elegiac passages.

05 /We find ourselves back in Genesis territory on the gentle “Who’s Life Am I Leading”, which also features a symphonic backdrop.

06 /“Ruin The Sunset” initially creates plenty of atmosphere, thanks in part to the generous reverb applied to the vocals. Here, too, it is abundantly clear that Erlend makes greater use of symphonic sounds on this second part of the trilogy’s conclusion.

07 /Finally, there is “Throw It Off The Bridge”, which opens with acoustic guitar and dreamy, folky vocals. Vocal harmonies also come into play, while the lovely melodies, fine guitar contributions and piano accompaniment work their magic once more. Towards the end of this nearly eight-minute song, we encounter that characteristic Giant Sky / Soup bombast again: a crescendo that almost hurts, such is the crackle and roar coming from the speakers. One more brief piano passage sounds… the trilogy is over.

04 / Verdict

An Impressive Conclusion to the Trilogy

Anyone who has made it to the end of this rather unwieldy review will know what awaits them on Erlend Aastad Viken’s third outing under the Giant Sky name. The third album brings to a close what began with the first release in 2021, in equally impressive fashion. The main album is more challenging, “The Further We Go The Deeper It Gets” a little calmer, and everything culminates in the magnificent finale of the closing song.