Description
As suggested by the title, “Grounded to the Sky” is a work of dichotomies, with opener ´Silent Field´ displaying both vulnerability and strength before the epic title track sees Hagmann and Glanzmann riffing it out with legs apart, creating bedazzling twin harmonies as they go. Whereas the eight-plus-minute ´The Elixir´ takes the listener on a cinematic journey, the tight and relatively short ´Good Boy´ alternately trots and struts in Soundgarden´s footsteps. Elsewhere, the hypnotic ´Shadow Walker´ and the fevered rhythms of ´Sour Milk´ highlight the outstandingly dynamic production while the Janus-headed ´Siren Song´ oscillates between weightless and sonically powerful passages befitting its lyrical heft.
With the soaring ´Davos´, Giant Sleep wax poetical on eco-political terrain yet dodge clichéd finger-pointing just like ´Cemetery Story´ doesn´t come even remotely close to conventional stoner or blues rock, although drawing from both. So what´s not to love about “Grounded to the Sky”? Let´s hand over to singer Thomas for some final words: There are three meanings to the title like in a spiritual gospel song: heavenly salvation in an esoteric way, “going north” where there is no slavery but freedom and lastly “higher” in a psychedelic way…”
