Vinyl Corner: Goya / Wounded Giant Split 12" (Vinyl Review)

Album Type: Split 12”

Date Released: 3/1/2015

Label: STB Records

‘Goya / Wounded Giant’ Split 12” Vinyl track listing:

1). Goya – No Place in the Sky (14:03)

2). Wounded Giant – The Room of the Torch (07:07)

3). Wounded Giant – Dystheist (06:09)  

Review:

FULL DISCLOSURE: I reviewed this record at 33 rpm rather than its intended 45 rpm. Listened to it a good half dozen times and never caught on either. Hey, it's DOOM, it wasn't indicated anywhere on the record and how's anybody supposed to know that you're playing it too slow? I'm certainly no John Peel, but it's happened to him as well...That moment when you're listening to something that you know Doom heads are gonna lose their shit over.

Opposite sides of the same coin, both Goya and Seattle’s Wounded Giant deliver the goods on this latest split offering from STB Records. Hailing from Arizona, Goya sound like the American Electric Wizard, with a much lower, more rumbly bottom end and a slowed down, almost mournful vocal delivery. With repeated spins these elements become instantly recognizable, giving the trio a unique sound that helps add their personal stamp in a very populated musical genre. Seattle trio Wounded Giant are similar in scope but deliver a bit more of a raw, garagey type sound, further enhanced by Jack Endino’s indelible production work. With blaring sonic effect, they deliver exactly what you want from a doom band with a sound that harkens back to the Seattle’s Tad and Mudhoney heyday. If Sub Pop had released a doom band’s LP back in the day, Wounded Giant would have likely been on the roster.

PACKAGING:

Being fairly new to STB records, this was the first package I received from them. The reason I'm mentioning this is because, upon opening it I immediately remarked how fun the entire unboxing experience was. From the very sturdy outer box with the personalized warning stickers, telling your mail carrier that s/he's carrying something precious, to all the goodies that came included (stickers, a patch, a button, download codes). It was just fun to be surprised by so many extras. Receiving any record package is a great feeling, but STB seems to place importance on the entire vinyl experience rather than just delivering the record itself. Don't laugh, see how many headphones Dr. Dre sells? The attention to detail is done right.

The record itself is specifically mastered for vinyl playback, making for a great sounding slab. Housed in both inner and outer poly sleeves and including a lyric sheet/liner notes and some suitably killer artwork, all aspects of the vinyl experience are addressed. It’s a full-on listening experience and probably a foregone conclusion that fans of the Doom genre will be lining up their mouse clicks in order to snag one of these up.

Words by: Jeremy Ron @ Vinyl Junkies

Release info:

Limited Vinyl Pressing of 430
Die Hard Edition - 80 pieces
Band Only - 100 pieces
OBI Series - 100 pieces
Not So Standard Edition - 150 pieces

You can pick up a copy 3/1/2015 at 12pm EST here

For more information:

Label | Goya | Wounded Giant | Vinyl Junkies