Historically I was never a big fan of split releases or singles for that matter, mainly due to the brevity and lack of run time. However, call it old age, call it becoming deeper entrenched into the hip underground, call it what you may, but the whole split thingy has caught on with me, and I see a further progression into the split realm, hopefully onto more of a standard 12" LP vinyl style format. In today's feature we have Goya and Wounded Giant split on an STB records 12" LP. If you know STB you know the available options will all be killer.
No Place In the Sky kicks the split in the nuts with a truly skull splitting slab of mountainous doom. If you heard Goya’s 777, released about a year ago, you know of the epic weight Goya are capable of carrying. Building from about a 4 minute intro of sinister distortion, the riffs ooze into a haunting vocal outcry which continues on and off throughout the remaining duration of the 14 minute opus. Rather than saying the song soars over peaks and valleys, as one could actually say accurately, I'd testify that Goya trudges through dense forests of petrified fuzz with smoldering riffage floating above enchanting crevices of blazing solos. The song builds from slow throbbing groove to thick beefy bellows of destructive ecstasy. “There is No Place in the Sky for us…..” roars the song to its peak as the poleaxe strikes its final blow to the kisser.
Wounded Giant split the disc with another battering blow of the battle axe. Whereas Goya crush the brain with the blunt face of the battle axe, Wounded Giant grinds a sharpened wedge on the flip side of the steel head and hacks the listener into pieces like a lumberjack chops wood!
In essence, Goya wounds the giant with its sheer weight advantage but with a one song advantage, Wounded Giant evens the battleground spilling equal volumes of blood and guts. Nearing a half hour over 3 songs, this split will bury your preconceptions of splits with an ache for more outings of this nature. Perhaps the heaviest, most evenly paired split I’ve heard all year, STB has struck gold!
I am excited to see what STB has in store for a vinyl design as the run of quality records Steve's put out since STBs inception is immaculate. Be sure to act fast as only 430 worldwide will be going up for sale, details on the bandcamp link below. Don't be a coward, strap on your helmet, and lace up your boots, toke up your medicine, and grasp your shield tightly because you're in for an utter assassination of the senses. You are probably going to die. In fact you will succumb to the absolute power of this split and you will love all 27 minutes of it!
-The Huntsman
