We had the Monstrous new record from Üga Büga, Valley Of The Wolf, for some time before it came out in June then reviewed the lead single then didn’t stick the landing when it came to the full album review. Pick one of the many reasons we’ve posted about and, most likely, it was all of ’em. Especially because the record rules and we had every intention of getting it out ahead of the street date. But thanks to Wicked Doom Festival, and us just being clever, we’re finally bringing you some words of the UB latest!
If you’re looking for Year Of The Hog 2: The Electric Baconing (Not a thing but Year Of The Hog we DID review… and in a timely fashion even!) and more explorations into what modern Sludge/Doom can be then you’re… sort of… in the wrong place. Because the powerhouse trio of Calloway Jones (Guitars, Vocals, Keys), Niko Cvetanovich (Bass, Backing Vocals, Keys) and Jimmy Czywczynski (Drums, Backing Vocals) who collectively make up Üga Büga has grown considerably since that 2024 concept album. And while Sludge/Doom is definitely a presence throughout Valley Of The Wolf, the whole of the album is so much more!
Take lead track “Divine Slaughter (Backyard Barbeque Bonanza)” for example which is a cross between fellow umlaut sportin’ band Mötley Crüe and their divisive self-titled opus (That’d be the John Corabi-fronted one that, for the record, we love) and Pantera (Any era) that we think makes for a BADASS combo. “Earthsuckers” heads back to Üga Büga’s usual sandbox for a fierce foray into some fine-tuned Metal on a gnarly rhythm section-centric shredder with the title track (Which we did cover!) hitting a little harder and even more epic-er (Not a word) within the VOTW context.
“Ghost in the Diamond Cage” scales back the grandiose in favor of a Bluesy jam sesh with a little Old School Dog Fashion Disco in there with the prevalent Organ sounds humming/swirling around, “Mötorhog” picks up the pace for a fun, shreddy ditty and then “Nail That Binds” drops a barrage of screams to start and then just gets more beastly as the song progresses. “The Sand Witch” brings back that Sunset Strip swag but infused with some sweet Virginia Sludge Metal with “Divination” similarly dripping with charisma while also world building at the same time. Rounding out the newest Üga Büga epic is “Revolting Power” which, speaking of the “e” word, spreads out nicely across eight minutes and change building and building upon the burgeoning legacy of Üga Büga and filled with a relentless riff factory and some big ass breakdowns that should rightly put Üga Büga’s name next to acts like Baroness, Kylesa and Mastodon as titans of the genre.
Valley Of The Wolf is out now and you can find a copy that best suits your lifestyle by heading here or to the stream below. If you missed Üga Büga live at Wicked Doom Festival recently, you still have a chance to catch them when they return to the New England area in the Fall on a headlining run with Maine’s own Viqueen as support and you can find out about that tour when you head here and then head here or here for the rest of the band socials!