Petrified Giant – Endless Ark [Things You Might Have Missed 2025]

For many, the mention alone of “YouTuber music” evokes a sudden and potent nausea. Historically tacky, poorly conceived or just plain bad, these projects are so often killed at conception if not by a lack of talent or vision then by the sin of vanity, assembled too self-consciously to leave any real impression. The music is only another extension of their online celebrity and, man, does it sound like it. Petrified Giant,1 formed by the guitar duo of online funny guys Dave McElfatrick (Cyanide & Happiness) and Lyle Rath (Wrathclub, OneyPlays), are not like those other guys. To the contrary, Petrified Giant’s debut Endless Ark just rocks. A thoroughly egoless affair of groovy, thrashy, expansive and riffy goodness, Endless Ark is some of the most fun metal music of 2025.

Endless Ark is brimming with ideas and ludicrous talent, but Petrified Giant’s artistry lies in always keeping the songs first. McElfatrick’s rhythmic riffing is chock-full of embellishments and gnarled turns while Rath’s leads and solos twist in wonky yet melodic manners reminiscent of Xoth,2 but never to gratuitous excess. Though Petrified Giant reveals a progressive, symphonic flair on longer tracks like “Dollmaker” and the title track (the chorus of which sounds straight out of the Seven Spires playbook), Endless Ark is a mean, focused attack on thrash bruisers like “The Blacksmith” and “Death and Taxes.” This expansive yet fatless songwriting carries over into whatever creative direction Petrified Giant takes, whether it be the jaunty power metal leanings of “Flesh Born of Flesh,” the electronic forays of “Traitorous,” the gothic atmospheres of “Dollmaker,” or the prog-power balladry of “Martian Winds” and “Mama.” Even at its heaviest (“Death and Taxes”), Endless Ark overflows with variety and hooks, whic,h when coupled with the aforementioned tight, expressive compositions, make for a most memorable listening experience.

Endless Ark by Petrified Giant

But if Petrified Giant was intended as a vanity project for McElfatrick and Rath, then they royally screwed up by bringing on vocalist Mardy Leith (Dragoncorpse), because he just about steals the show. Across Endless Ark, Leith puts on a clinic for diverse, theatrical, and technically proficient vocals, meeting the needs of whatever wild turn Petrified Giant takes and upping the ante. He reminds me of Protest the Hero’s Rody Walker in this way. Whether belting out impassioned cleans on “Martian Winds,” switching between singing and screaming at will on “Flesh Born of Flesh,” owning both brutal death vox and 80s-coded air raid wails on “The Blacksmith,” or going full-on manic on “Godless Sky,” Leith holds it down resplendently. Leith’s contribution to Endless Ark’s personality cannot be understated, as his evocative performances bring to life both Petrified Giant’s fun, campy horror songs like “Flesh Born of Flesh” and “Dollmaker” and their furious, real-world ragers like “Death and Taxes” and “Traitorous.” Endless Ark would’ve been a very good and enjoyable record without Leith; with him, Petrified Giant are an unmitigated blast.

One of my biggest fears during my N00b period this year was that I wouldn’t be able to cover Endless Ark by the time TYMHM season rolled around. Petrified Giant came out swinging, putting out one of the year’s greatest debut records. It’s not perfect—the programmed drumming definitely sounds programmed and the title track isn’t quite as tight as everything else—but the shortcomings of Endless Ark pale before its sheer exuberance and sense of adventure. When other ‘Tubers put out mere content to forward their individual careers or stroke their egos, Petrified Giant gives us an album. Get on the Ark, friends.

Tracks to Check Out: “The Blacksmith,” “Dollmaker,” “Death and Taxes” and “Traitorous.”

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