“If you like your riffs fat and your music thick, swampy, and spiked with whiskey, then you'll love the killer grooves of King Giant”

“King Giant and their record Dismal Hollow do so much more than craft a picture of fantastic stoner rock. What they do, more often than not, is cause me to remember a time when rock radio was fresh and exciting.”

“The exceptional musicianship and songwriting abilities of Virginia's King Giant make this an album that is a must-have for any fan of muddy doom and gritty Southern metal.”

“Here’s hoping that the tales of Appalachian decadence and discontent found on Dismal Hollow will turn King Giant into troubadours for all the world to hear… because, by God this album deserves to be heard.”

“What if instead of hailing from the industrial brimstone of Birmingham, England, Black Sabbath had risen from the backwoods of Appalachia? Odds are, I think, that the result would sound quite a lot like King Giant’s Dismal Hollow… 4/5”

“There are eight irresistible rock masterpieces on this release. This album is almost perfect in every detail. 9.5/10”

“The Virginia quintet has a righteous boner for folk, and uses the rich tapestry of the American Civil War, backwoods lore, and all kinds of Americana miscellanea to source the lyrical inspiration that binds Dismal Hollow in one narrative thread. 8/10”

“Dismal Hollow tells tales of bootlegging, abject alcoholism and spousal abuse with murderous retribution. This is real life. Everything about Dismal Hollow resonates in my mind and memory. 9.2/10”

“If I had a label, I would put out their 2009 album Southern Darkness in a heartbeat.”

“King Giant perfected the freedom of the groove with Desert Run and brought back an untidy flood of my personal run across the thing many months ago on my bored out magnum chopper, Nomad.”

“Echoing a dump truck compacting various metallic compounds, the band loads up with an equal heaping of Soundgarden, COC, Down and Clutch. Anyone who is a fan of the aforementioned bands are not only gonna get a kick out of Southern Darkness, but may be surprised at how accessible it is despite dropping like a two ton hammer on the ears.”

“Some of the most honest and soulful music being made today.”

"This is Southern Metal at its Finest and I cannot even name a lame song on the record. The whole thing is like a hundred runaway train carriages shredding their way towards you!"

"Constantly changing the dynamics, the band astonishes in their ability to do so without losing their signature sound."

"This album delivers everything the last Down album forgot to pack in the truck plus a little extra."

“The whole goddamn thing is rife with brutal & incredibly dynamic tracks ranging from the straight forward bass driven mega heavy Burning Regrets to the fun time dance party of Mississippi River…they’re draggin’ for the bones but the solid southern funk resides with a thick down beat & bottle raising solo.”

"All of their original songs on this sounded thick, inspired, and made you want to nod your head while standing on the gas pedal of your vehicle."

“What “Southern Darkness” truly embodies is a solid collection of bluesy, groove-heavy rock that’s impossibly catchy and real.”

“Southern Darkness has within its bowels tones of disparaging moans with the angry tracks Hollow & Solace…a glint of The Doors with 13 to 1…a crawling snake of monumentally progressive sludge groove with Shindig. Doom & Melody with every dense note. All faithless & distinguished. And the goddamn literature of Desert Run runs deep and more in depth than any journey told in many years.”

“Melodies and atmosphere inhabit that unlikely common ground among Alice In Chains, Eyehategod, and Hank III. The album title is apt.”

“If Johnny Cash rose from the grave and started a metal band, this is what it might sound like. Folks, this is some serious shit. King Giant isn't music that's meant to be fun. No, this is music that's meant to exorcise demons.”

"Gutsy, testosterone-saturated southern raunch .A gritty sincerity and school-of-hard-knocks fortitude lurks behind the brawny surface on Southern Darkness." [6.5 points]

“Both bands have heavy metal thunder sounds but just good old-fashioned hard rock songs, and both can turn south, with just a bit of twang, and go swamp metal. No one does that better than Clutch, but King Giant deserves their recognition, too.”