Wij
- DAY: 06.06
- STAGE: Desert Stage
- GENRE: Stoner metal
- COUNTRY: Poland
Wij is something that has never been seen before on the Polish stoner scene. They are deeply immersed in the kingdom of the fuzz riffs but are not limited to that – offering melodies from other sides of metal and even the realm of alternative. Additionally, they are known for their lyrics, which are impossible to imitate and their lead vocalist, Tuja Szmaragd, whose flair for the dramatic and technically perfect voice elevate those constructions onto wonderful plains. It’s one of Poland’s greatest metal-adjacent sensations of the last few months, and for a reason.
History:
2018 – that’s when the stoner Wij emerges. The band was largely the idea of Palec, the guitar player and Tuja Szmaragd, the vocalist. The group decided on a stoner sound at the very beginning, yet they added their own, different twist. It was visible already in the first two demos, and truly shined on their fully fledged debut, “Dziwidło” in 2021. Wij got positive reviews from both the stoner scene, as well as the metal world, which were reinforced by an EP, “Przeklęte wody”, released a year later. The hype, however, came to a full only in 2023 thanks to their second album, “Przestwór”. The trio’s eclectic approach to the stoner matter is present there even more visibly, and the album’s reception was incredibly positive, which led it to become Pirahna Records’ loudest premiere of last year.
Discography:
Studio albums:
Dziwidło, 2021
Przestwór, 2023
EPs:
Przeklęte wody, 2022
Demos:
Demo 2019, 2019
Promo, 2020
Singles:
Narwal, 2022
Oko, 2023
