Episode 84 – Gigan 2007-2017: A Decade of Brain-Frying Cosmic Escapism

Radical Research spends much of its time plundering the most mind-bending sounds in rock and metal. On our 84th episode, we go several light years farther in our quest for psychic devastation as we survey and discuss the improbable body of work amassed by Chicago’s Gigan. As forbidding and violent as the character from which it derives its name, Gigan’s music blends savagery and psychedelia with skill and compositional might that have no peers. If you survive this episode, you can consider yourself a veteran of the psychic wars.  Note I: We recorded this together, at Jeff’s place, in Greensboro, NC. Hence some occasional volume differentiation on our voices. It was a completely off-the-cuff, hardly-formal approach. Note II: We contacted Eric Hersemann after recording this episode. The Gigan mastermind tells us that the band is alive and well, and will be entering the studio this fall for album #5. Note III: If you knew immediately that Jeff was wrong when referring to Steel Attack as German (they’re Swedish), you definitely know too much. Note IV: Please consider donating if you listen to Radical Research often: https://www.paypal.me/rrpodcast We also have a webstore where you can find shirts, CDs, and books: https://www.radicalresearch.org/shop/ Music cited, in order of appearance: [all music by Gigan except where otherwise noted] “The Oracle of Orson” (Footsteps of Gigan, 2007) “Space Coffin Hallucinations” (The Order of the False Eye, 2008) “Hiding Behind the House of Mirrors” (The Order of the False Eye, 2008) The Universe Divide, “Day 4” (2014 demo) “Suspended in Cubes of Torment” (Quasi-Hallucinogenic Sonic Landscapes, 2011) “Skeletons of Steel, Timber and Blackened Granite” (Quasi-Hallucinogenic Sonic Landscapes, 2011) “Influence Through Ritualistic Projection” (Multi-Dimensional Fractal Sorcery and Super Science, 2013) “Mother of Toads” (Multi-Dimensional Fractal Sorcery and Super Science, 2013) “Wade Forward Through Matter and Backwards Through Time” (Undulating Waves of Rainbiotic Iridescence, 2017) “Hyperjump-Ritual Madness” (Undulating Waves of Rainbiotic Iridescence, 2017) Radical Research is a conversation about the inner- and outer-reaches of rock and metal music. This podcast is conceived and conducted by Jeff Wagner and Hunter Ginn. Though we consume music in a variety of ways, we give particular privilege to the immersive, full-album listening experience. Likewise, we believe that tangible music formats help provide the richest, most rewarding immersions and that music, artwork, and song titles cooperate to produce a singular effect on the listener. Great music is worth more than we ever pay for it.