REVIEW: Sleeping Giant - The Beauty of Obliteration

The virulent beauty of annihilation has long been confirmed, ever since der Reise was first recounted from the ancient scrolls. But from the far, frigid north, a new Behemoth is set to awaken this February - the awe-inspiring The Beauty of Obliteration, the anticipated debut album from Reykjavik’s SLEEPING GIANT. Ground-shaking and havoc-inducing, the prophecy of destruction recounted here by the awakening beasts of the Earthrealm is sure to bring any listener on a tour of the grungiest, most distorted, vile, and downright devious riffs, all to the apocalyptic myth of an Earth shedding the hubris of humanity.

Fans of the boiling tar rhythm of sludge doom metal will be more than pleasantly surprised by what these particular Giants have concocted; more than deserving of their name and doing the MASTODON track of the same title certainly proud. In production since 2024, The Beauty of Obliteration showcases the talents of BJÖRNSSON and EIRÍKSSON on certainly-bloodied guitar strings, JÓHANNSSON on drums he may have fashioned from the skins of conquered peasants, and EINARSSON on a bass that seems to only get groovier with each sacrifice given in his name. Both he and the prophecy-espousing JÖKULL feed their tenured talents from past project PLASTIC GODS directly into the Earthrealm’s maelstrom; however, both with a greater focus on a more bludgeoning, ice-cold growling sound over their past warmer, more stoner-inclined tunes.

The album, if it was not one of music, would take the form of a blunt battleaxe, searing through swathes of mortals in the hands of a “merciless beast” through sheer force of inertia alone. No better is the sheer pungent, power-hungry groove of obliteration evidenced than in each song’s waveform: sheer blocks of sound, each track an awakening jotun itself. There is truly only one way to describe SLEEPING GIANT’s debut, from emotion, to theme, to tone: and that is as a reckoning.

Opening with the rampaging victory of Conqueror, a song enough to shake the very ground, crumble empires and break the realm, the album ensures each of the substantial tracks has plenty of time to shine itself – with the shortest being the crisp, headbang-inducing Venom Ripper, Gorgon Blaster at just under three minutes - with no riff left behind in the storm of sound. From Mobilizer of Evil through to Slay the King of Hell, the listener is blasted with electric riffs from the shoulders of giants that leaves only concern for the health - and sanity - of the guitarists. One would be remiss to not include EINARSSON in that worry; with the delectable funk opener to Slay The King of Hell seemingly descending from the heavens themselves before being subsumed into the mass of sound.

Each track follows a particular pattern: the audio barrage escalated with intensity midway through with truly unique and cannibalistically delicious breakdowns. Whenever these moments occur, and the guitars are truly allowed to breathe, it is as if some ancient tonal magics from the volcanic core of Iceland itself briefly awaken in your eardrums- throwing, rather than pushing, each song from good to great. While parts of each song can occasionally appear almost safe in its commitment to a coherent, overly-consistent barbaric sound, the valiant riffs near the end of Venom Ripper and the very middle of The Monk, for example, stand out, and we hope SLEEPING GIANT’s future releases will only showcase more of these creative and song-defining breakdowns. The Monk particularly brilliantly sears the ears, the most stoner metal experience of the album certainly amplified by hitting the monk in time with its heavy guitar plucks, inhaling brilliant “unspeakable filth” through lungs and mind alike.

Ending with Abyssal Flame, the album in spirit and sound provides not a final hurrah or encore, but a terrifying, awe-inspiring and hefty ten-minute power-ballad, no longer prophesying but announcing the terrible awakening of the SLEEPING GIANT. With its own ultimate mid-song breakdown staring in horror at the “setting sun” of man, it is the perfect culmination; as the oldest of the album, it well shows elements reproduced with their full beauty in each other track - from thrash interludes perfected in Venom Ripper to doom distortions made manifest in Conqueror.

The Giant has, certainly, awoken. Bringing The Beauty of Obliteration to man, it’s clear SLEEPING GIANT rouses, hitting the ground running, and shows great, raw promise to descend from Iceland as a true reckoning across the scene. Bring forth more destructive, more impactful and more sound-defining breakdowns to be dispersed through each song, more confidence in their well-practised craft, and (just in case) more medical attention to bleeding fingers and frayed vocal cords, and 2026 may yet be the summer of SLEEPING GIANT. May the reckoning come.

Score: 7/10

The Beauty of Obliteration will be released on 6th February 2026 via Octopus Rising and Argonauta Records.

Words: Jakub Tomasz Czaicki

Photos: Sleeping Giant