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Evile guitarist Ol Drake has a passion for Gentle Giant. "If anything, I love them too much," he said in 2011. The British thrash metal icon credited his father with introducing him to the allure of the eccentric progressive band.
«"He showed me different old bands on YouTube. I kept asking what band it was. One day, he posted a video of Gentle Giant performing songs from Octopus album . "I was fascinated by the way the musicians swapped instruments and the music they played. I was delighted.".
Drake began exploring the band's work and found much he liked about their music. "Their vocal harmonies were incredible, and they also had a great understanding of song construction.".
«Listen The Advent of Panurge "There's nothing like it anymore. The same can be said about a lot of other stuff they did. It was a strange style, but it suited them brilliantly. I never get tired of putting on one of their records and trying to figure out what exactly they were doing.".
The catalog of this 70s progressive rock giant even slightly influenced what Drake did with Evile. "If you listen to the song In Memoriam from our album Five Serpent's Teeth , there's a bit of Gentle Giant in it, although I wouldn't say it's a huge inspiration.".
«"To be honest, we're not the kind of band that could replicate what Gentle Giant did to a significant degree. But that won't stop me from making references every now and then!"»
He was barely able to catch his breath when asked where the uninitiated should begin. «It must be, Octopus — for me, this is the album that defined who they are. Their previous albums were very strong, but they were still finding their style. Once they released Octopus , everything fell into place.".
He reveals a secret musical ambition that could one day bring him closer to the hearts of his idols. "I'd really love to do what I call a progressive project, maybe collaborate with someone like Mikael Åkerfeldt. It would be very inspired by Gentle Giant's achievements—I'd strive to emulate them.".
Drake made the right choice by recalling Opeth frontman Akerfeldt, who is also a fan of Gentle Giant. In 2017, he said Prog magazine "I stumbled upon Gentle Giant through my record collection in the early '90s. I've never heard a band that compares to them until now.".
«"Not only were they technically amazing, but they played every note with incredible feeling. That's something you rarely hear in complex progressive rock." Peel the Paint "It's classical. There's a section where the violins change keys in a descending melody. It makes me sick, irritates me, but at the same time amazes me. How can someone write something like that? It's simply amazing!"»
In 2012, Brian Tatler of Diamond Head named the album In A Glass House my favorite Gentle Giant album, tagging the tracks The Runaway и Experience as the best compositions. He explained: "The fact that they were so experimental and complex gave me the confidence to try anything in Diamond Head and not be afraid to push the boundaries of the rigid verse/bridge/chorus structure of rock and heavy metal.".
And in 2009, pop star Nik Kershaw, whose career has a strong history in the world of progressive rock, discussed the energy of Gentle Giant's live performances, saying, "You imagine how many people are involved in that, given the diversity of sounds—but it's only five people. I find it so strange.".
«"One minute you'll see them playing standard rock instruments, and the next they'll be playing xylophone and recorder. It's amazing how they manage to combine all of this.".