Wounded Giant from Seattle, WA,
floored me with their 2013 debut, 'Lightning Medicine'. In between then
and now, as their sophomore full-length is upon us, they have released a
cassette single, a split and a live cassette, and this diverse output has
pushed them forward immensely. Going from fantastic to fucking brilliant is an
understatement because 'Vae Vicits' is phenomenal, absolutely
phenomenal.
All throughout ‘Vae Victis’ there’s a strong air of
Voivod-meets-Killing Joke playing heavy, pulverizing psychedelic doom while
exploring the deepest recesses of the mind. Trust me, this wax is a headfuck of
the greatest order and you can’t really ask for more. A permeating theme is the
sense of impending doom and I guess the title itself brings that out. Vae
Vicits is, after all, Latin for “woe to the vanquished/conquered”, meaning the
losing side in a battle are completely at the mercy of the winner and should
never expect leniency. And that’s exactly what Wounded Giant does. They pull
the listener in, pummels and rips you apart and once you beg for mercy, they do
it all over again. Oh, the brilliance!
In all the non-mercy, be-all
end-all onslaught of their music, Wounded Giant are mesmerizing, hypnotic and
captivating. Reeling you in and presenting a false sense of being, they lull
you into a psychedelic state while burrowing deep into the psyche. Vast,
expansive landscapes are created through thought-provoking lyrics and put side
by side with their punishing music, you, the listener, are vae victis.
On top of this a bottom
heavy bassline guides this onslaught amongst beauty, all while enormous hooks
in the riff department shreds you to pieces. But ‘Vae Victis’ is not all about heaviness either because the band
switches elegantly between tempos. Sometimes, as in ‘Emmanentize
the Eschaton’, Wounded Giant eschew their Killing Joke-meets-Voivod
playing psychedelic doom approach completely. Sampled voices are backed by a
prominent keyboard while the bass guitar and drums plays in the
background...until everything erupts halfway through. Only to fade out in the
end. Trippy and mind blowing, alright, as well as putting the album in a
completely different light. Greatness is not a big enough word!
To tie
everything together with the beginning, Wounded Giant have taken giant steps forward
with ‘Vae Victis’. It feels kind of
strange saying this since they been great from the get-go, but that doesn’t
hide the fact that the guys has transformed into a raging beast few, if any,
can tame. Thank you for unearthing this amazing album to us mere mortals!
-Swedebeast
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