Sleeping Giant is a metal hardcore band currently signed to Facedown Records where they fit in nicely. They hail from Redlands, CA and have been around since 2006. Dread Champions Of The Last Days is their debut release, which came out in May of 2007. If absolutely nothing else, you will most assuredly get two things out of this album: hardcore music and hardcore hearts for the Lord.

The album opens with a spoken intro laid over loud roars letting people know right off the bat that this group is here for the Lord. The drumming is fast, the guitars are faster, and Thom Green's vocals range from singing to screaming - even bringing thoughts of P.O.D.'s Sonny Sandoval at times. Some highlights are: "Dynasty," where Green's vocals find that mentioned range blended together, "The Power Of Prayer" gives the listener a glimpse of the spiritual battle going around us that most of us don't recognize. Arguably the best song on the album would be "Behold The Pale Horse." The music gets faster and harder while chants of "All hell follows with him" are screamed stating Death's demise.

The album is not perfect, however, and songs like "Oh Praise Him" and "This Is The Word" fail to deliver what most of the rest of the album showcases. While the message is clear and uplifting in these songs, the sound is not pleasant to the ear. Some of the songs also could stand to be a little longer in length; a few barely hit the two minute mark.

The music is perfect for the hardcore metal scene, the message is exactly what Christians and non alike need to hear, and the guys know exactly what to do when given some guitars and drums to mess around with. While the sound is not perfect, you'll find a lot of potential for them to clean up the production and make a big impact in the music world. This is a solid freshman release and I expect to be hearing more from them in the near future.

- Review date: 4/7/09, written by Kevin Hoskins of Jesusfreakhideout.com