Sog - "Love / I Giganti Del"

"Love / I Giganti Del" (which may or may not be translated in English as "Love / Giants") is a relatively obscure full length from the emotive hardcore band Sog, which was formed way back in 1993 in Stuttgart, a city located in southwestern Germany. It was the first non-demo release from this four-piece, and I have absolutely zero recollection of how this album found its way into my possession. My best guess is that the description of this LP sounded interesting to me while perusing a Very Distro catalog many moons ago, so I took a chance and bought it. If that wasn't the case, then I haven't a clue.

So, what does Sog sound like? Well, that question does not have a straightforward answer. I guess in 2017 they would be awarded a post-hardcore classification, but back when this thing came out that specific style of hc was basically associated with one band, and one band only: Quicksand. Alas, Sog shares nothing in common with that sound, so that description didn't really stick. What the fuck was I talking about again? Yes, yes...Sog.

These seven songs, which clock in at around 40 minutes, cover a lot of bases as far as style goes. I hear something akin to a combination of fellow Germans Kurt with a touch of demo-era Off Minor and a pinch of Raein. Sounds pretty sweet, right? Add to that some busy bass lines, a healthy dose of creative weirdness in song structure (especially during transitions), jarring parts that come from out of nowhere and don't seem to fit in at first but eventually make sense (?), and samples of birds singing and fake hand claps.

This was clearly crafted by musicians who knew what they were doing and weren't afraid to experiment with the mid-paced hardcore they were constructing. The recording quality is better-than-average, as is the layout of this record; a mint green gatefold jacket and some of the best individual band member pictures I may have ever seen.

These songs were recorded in September 1996 by Beni Fleisch I, and this was released in late 1996 by Bremen, Germany's Love Records. There were 1000 copies pressed.

Tracklist:
1) Geschenk    (Present)
2) Klartext    (Clear text)
3) Küss Mich    (Kiss Me)
4) Krebsfrüherkennungsuntersuchung    (Cancer screening) *
5) Tiefe    (Depth)
6) 12 Uhr Nachts (Klacker, Klacker)    (12 o'clock At Night Klacker, Klacker)
7) Gedankengebäude    (Thought building)


- *holy shit, that's 31 letters -