An epic six track slab of monolithic proportions, Wounded Giant’s Vae Victis embodies everything that can be great in the world of desert rawk.
On their latest full-length, these Seattle-residing purveyors of all things heavy up the sludge metal ante with riffs thicker than molasses sweetened by Bobby James’ distinct pipes.
Starting with the nine and a half minute title track, which will not only tickle your heavy rawk fancy but also hit all the right points from the get go, Vae Victis continues to treat listeners with FIVE MORE tracks of pure unrestrained awesomeness. Sinister at times, grooving at others yet overwhelmingly heavy, “Vae Victis” is the real deal and will have listeners continually checking back to see if what they’re hearing is the same song because the musical adventure within is so grand.
“Dystheist” is propelled by Alex Bytnar’s steady yet thunderous drum pounding with an over two minute instrumental build up until James’ Mark Arm meets Ozzy delivery enters. “Emmanentize the Eschaton”, on the other hand, gets all spacey/prog-like and serves as a short break until “Scum of the Earth” takes listeners on a riff roller coaster ride with Dylan A Rogers’ resounding low end providing a solid foundation.
James’ raw guitar tones echo over an organ and percussion psychedelic intro before ramping up into the steady rocker “The Room of the Torch” while Sabbath (Dio-era) meets Crowbar on closer “Green Scar” and screams a resounding “Fuck yes you do!” when posed the question of whether or not you need Wounded Giant in your life and Vae Victis in your collection.
Vae Victis is out on April 1st via STB Records. Yours can be pre-ordered right here.