As much as I like the Heavy Metal genre, I am almost as big a fan of classic 70's Rock. I treasure all of the old WHO, LED ZEPPELIN, JIMI HENDRIX and PINK FLOYD vinyls that I have managed to accumulate over the past few years. So I can appreciate it when I hear a band that is able to capture the sound from that era. HUMUNGOUS D is one band that is able to do this.

HUMUNGOUS D is a relatively new project with the aim of capturing that Rock sound from the 70's. Singer Matt Williams is also the vocalist in Power Metal band BLACK STEEL. There is already new material being written for a new full-length album, due out in late 2010.

The first thing that one will notice about this album is how similar the vocals are to those of the late fellow-Australian Bon Scott. In fact, the music sounds very similar to AC/DC, back when they released albums that didn't all sound exactly the same. However, it's obvious that the members of this band are just having fun and not intending to make some unique artistic statement.

When approached from the perspective that this is merely an album that was meant to be fun, rather than profound, one can overlook the silly lyrics and obvious rip-offs of AC/DC's trademark sound. And when one can look at it this way, the music is quite enjoyable. "Rock N Roll Shoes" gives the listener a Rock history lesson, for instance. My only real complaint is in the lead guitar apartment. All of the best classic Rock bands had a charismatic lead guitarist which carried the band's sound. Here the guitars are forgettable and rather pedestrian. They fail to make a statement, hopefully this will be something improved upon on the full length.

Despite their terrible name, HUMUNGOUS D offers some decent Rock in the style of bands from 35 years ago. As long as expectations are not set too high, this is certainly an amusing listen. I, for one, would be interested in hearing more of what this band has to offer.
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