Nashville's Howling Giant and the UK's Sergeant Thunderhoof are two of stoner rock's rising stars. A traditional split EP with the two bands would've been an easy way to get their names out there more, but given the collective talent of both outfits, they took that concept a step further. The result is Turned to Stone Vol. 2: Masamune & Muramasa, a 40-minute sonic journey that flows as one cohesive piece of music. We have the exclusive premiere for your listening pleasure below.
For each side of the EP, both bands wrote 20-minute epics telling the story and face-off of legendary Japanese sword smiths Muramasa and Masamune, interconnected by melodic ideas which makes the EP feel like much more than just a collection of songs. And it really is much more than that; Howling Giant and Sergeant Thunderhoof have crafted a masterful stoner prog odyssey that's bound to become a classic. It's an ambitious undertaking, to be sure, but these two bands pulled it off with the same finesse and virtuosity of the two master sword smiths whose legends they tell over the course of the album.
Turned to Stone Vol. 2: Masamune & Muramasa releases this Friday, Aug. 7 via Ripple Music. Pre-order the album here, and be sure to check out the previous output of both Howling Giant and Sergeant Thunderhoof. Both might just become your new favorite bands.
