Devil Child Blues
By: John Pegoraro - Oct 22, 2004
Publication: StonerRock.com

Red Giant’s Ultra-Magnetic Glowing Sound was one of those albums that promised more than what was delivered. The musicianship was strong, as were the songs, but the overall presentation was too mannered to leave a lasting impression. It’s a shame, as Red Giant are a great band (I’ve seem them live), but Ultra-Magnetic Glowing Sound simply wasn’t an accurate representation of the band.

Too many years later and they’ve returned, now on Small Stone Records, with Devil Child Blues. The ingredients and recipe haven’t changed, but Red Giant are better cooks. While you’ll never confuse Devil Child Blues with If You Want Blood, You’ve Got It or Strangers in the Night or any other classic live album, the restraint that marred their previous work is gone.

Overall, it’s riff heavy Hawkwind by way of Monster Magnet, with an undying love for all things Star Wars - thick, visceral rockers with traces of psychedelia and references to bounty hunters and ships that can make the Kessel Run in less than 12 parsecs. It’s a style that works best in the mid-tempo range. “Hoping for the Golden BB,” the one all-out fast song, doesn’t measure up to “White Mom” and “Devil Child Blues.” The strongest track by far is “I Breathe Fire,” with its guitar flourishes, pounding riffs, and catchy chorus. It’s the type of song I could listen to over and over again, and if somebody were to ask why Red Giant were worth checking out, I’d point them in that direction.

Devil Child Blues isn’t perfect, though – the vocals sound too processed at times and the saxophone on the chaotic “Funhouse” is buried low enough to be a mosquito-like whine – but it’s definitely an improvement over Ultra-Magnetic Glowing Sound. It shows the band’s growing and getting stronger at what they do. Red Giant get a fair amount of hype around here - Devil Child Blues is proof they deserve it.