The highly anticipated, annual Christian metal and hardcore powerhouse tour, Scream The Prayer, has been announced for 2012. The tour with be headlined by Demon Hunter (on select dates), along with Emery, Sleeping Giant, Mychildren Mybride, Close Your Eyes, Hundredth, The Great Commission, Gideon, A Bullet For Pretty Boy, and Your Memorial. The current dates can be viewed below, and more are in the process of being announced. For more info on Scream The Prayer 2012, visit the tour's Facebook page.

06/22/12 - Nashville, TN @ Rocketown
06/23/12 - Douglasville, GA @ The 7 Venue
06/24/12 - Jacksonville, FL @ Murray Hill Theatre
06/26/12 - Charlotte, NC @ Amos Southend
06/27/12 - Richmond, VA @ Kingdom
06/28/12 - Baltimore, MD @ Sonar
06/30/12 - Dayton, OH @ The Attic Club
07/01/12 - Joliet, IL @ Mojoe's

Artist: Sleeping Giant
Album: Kingdom Days In An Evil Age
Release Date: July 12, 2011
Label: Ain't No Grave Records

I for one, along with many others I'm sure, have been eagerly anticipating the release of new music from Sleeping Giant, since their impressive sophomore release from June '09', Sons of Thunder. Well, the time has finally come, and armed with a new label, Ain't No Grave Records, Sleeping Giant are back with Kingdom Days In An Evil Age. Has all the hype paid off however? The answer would be a yes, and in fact, this may just be the best that we have heard the band.

Kingdom Days In An Evil Age packs in everything Sleeping Giant does well, and takes it up a notch, with more intense instrumentation, powerful lyrics, and plenty of worship. The minute and a half intro, "Throne Room Militance" is not your typical instrumental build up to the following song, but instead packs as much as it can into the small duration of time, setting the atmosphere of Kingdom Days with an in-your-face message and call to believers to rise up. "Salvation is our banner!" is the one line of "Dead Men Walking" that pleas to be yelled along with, from an anthem of a song that wages war against the powers of Darkness. Guest vocals from Frankie Palmeri of Emmure are found on "Eyes Wide Open," fitting the song well, and are especially memorable when he screams with Tommy Green, "You better pray!"

Some classic Sleeping Giant is heard on "The Cross Is Suicide," which is a proclamation of willing to lay our lives down for Christ. "ICXC" is a very aggressive track from its start, and speaks of Jesus being the Conqueror. The song which fans have known as "Hallelujah" for about a year, "Tithemi," is an energetic worship song, made up mainly of Tommy Green's singing, before some spoken word, leading into a crippling breakdown to end the song. Although it may not be exactly the same, the intro of "Tongues Of Fire" sounds somewhat similar to "ICXC," but after the intro is a completely different track altogether, with mainly just drums in the verses, backing Tommy's yells and screams. The percussion is once again highlighted on the start of "Jehova Shalom," a song full of mostly down-tuned chugging, and lyrics of the many names of God. A tribute to martyrs is made on "The Unnamable Name," along with a prayer for breakthrough over many unsaved nations.

"Morning Star" cries out "Jesus come, cause You are worthy of every human life, Kingdom come, Alpha, Omega, Beginning and End," followed by deep, throaty growls of "I am blinded by glory." Similar to how Sons of Thunder ended, piano is added on the closing of Kingdom Days In An Evil Age, "Enthroned." Another song of all singing, the song is hauntingly beautiful, with more honest lyrics of desperation for the Love of God.

Those who pick up the deluxe edition of the album are not only treated to an expanded, in-depth booklet, but three more new songs as well. The first, "Defiance," is all singing from Tommy, and gang vocals that accompany the chorus, along with heavy bass and echoing drums. The only real heavy track of the three is "Father To The Fatherless," which asks God why He chose to give up His Son, and that "Sons need fathers!" The final and closing "Holy Is The Lamb" starts out a bit slower with gang chants, which build up to the all out singing of ""You're the hope of all the nations, You're the Living God, and we cry holy, holy is the Lamb." A great way to end Kingdom Days if I do say so myself.

Overall: Sleeping Giant have made it clear that they have poured their hearts, minds, and souls into Kingdom Days In An Evil Age, their awe-inspiring third album. A very cohesive effort, each song drips with a worshipful passion, which fuels a battle cry for believers of this generation. As it says on "Tithemi," "This is declaration," and that is what Kingdom Days In An Evil Age is, pure declaration.

Rating: 9/10

Tracklisting:

1. Throne Room Militance
2. Dead Men Walking
3. Eyes Wide Open
4. The Cross Is Suicide
5. ICXC
6. Tithemi
7. Tongues Of Fire
8. Jehova Shalom
9. The Unnamable Name
10. Morning Star
11. Enthroned
12. Defiance
13. Father To The Fatherless
14. Holy Is The Lamb

(Buy Here)

Sleeping Giant delivers their brand new video for "Eyes Wide Open" featuring Frankie Palmeri of Emmure! The song comes straight from their new album Kingdom Days In An Evil Age due out this Tuesday, July 12th, on Ain't No Grave Records.

They will be on this year's Scream The Prayer tour directly supporting Norma Jean with The Chariot, War Of Ages, Close Your Eyes, Texas In July and many more.

Check the video out here.

Sleeping Giant's new music video for their song "Dead Man Walking" can be viewed here. The song is off their Ain't No Grave Records debut album (following their two Facedown Records releases), Kingdom Days In An Evil Age, and can currently be pre-ordered at MerchConnection. The new album will be out July 12th.

Ain't No Grave Records have just put up some very nice pre-order packages for their upcoming July 12th releases of Heavy Worship from The Great Commission and Kingdom Days In An Evil Age from Sleeping Giant. The many different pre-orders can be viewed and purchased here. ANGR will also be releasing Volition, the new album from As Hell Retreats, on July 26th, and the pre-orders for that release should be up sometime soon.

Sleeping Giant have released their new song "Dead Man Walking," the first off their upcoming third album, Kingdom Days In An Evil Age, set to release July 12th via Ain't No Grave Records. Sleeping Giant will be on the Scream The Prayer tour this July supporting their new album. Pre-orders will be available soon for Kingdom Days In An Evil Age, so stay tuned for more info.

Ain't No Grave Records, a new Christian metal/hardcore label that is sure to be making waves in the heavy music scene, have announced release dates for their first three releases from their roster. On July 12th, they will be releasing Sleeping Giant's Kingdom Days In An Evil Age, as well as The Great Commission's Heavy Worship, and on July 26th, As Hell Retreats' Volition will be released. In addition to that, As Hell Retreats' first single, "Young Heretic," can be heard here. For more information on Ain't No Grave Records (ANGR) and their roster, check out their website, and be sure to catch all their bands on this summer's Scream The Prayer tour!

The lineup for this summer's Scream The Prayer tour has been announced. Norma Jean will be headlining, support from nine other bands, such as The Chariot and Sleeping Giant, which can be seen above. The dates have yet to be announced, but look for more info on the tour soon.

SLEEPING GIANT FRONT MAN TOMMY GREEN ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF HIS FIRST BOOK RELIGIO-CIDE