Pegzilla Premiere “Virginia Werewolf”; New Single Out Friday
Based in Los Angeles, doom rock trio Pegzilla — who win outright at bandnames — will release their new single “Virginia Werewolf,” this Friday, Feb. 27. The five-minute track premieres below following a physical release in December on 7″ vinyl as the B-side to the concurrent “Bootlicker,” and the two songs are well enough paired that you’ll find the A-side near the bottom of this post. With “Virginia Werewolf,” the Edward Albee-reference heralds a third-person narrative lyric set to a decisive lumber. The first minute establishes the riff and digs in. The band — guitarist/vocalist Olivia Saperstein, bassist Juan Barsse and drummer Ryan Swain — build up quickly enough and lay out the nod, then let it roll into the first verse. Tonally, atmospherically, and in the attitude of Saperstein‘s descriptive vocals, it is doomed.
But it moves as well, and the early seems-to-want-to-go-faster tension sweeps into a more uptempo chorus sure enough. That transition happens suddenly, circa 1:30 in, and if caught off-guard on a first listen it can feel a little awkward (extra syllable in that first line?), but the rest of the chorus reveals that as part of the push the band are making. The second time through, it feels more fluid, though admittedly knowing it’s coming makes a difference. The solo that takes off after the second chorus leaves room for no return; they go out and don’t come back. But the going is the point. The solo echoes out and twists around with propulsive bass and drums beneath, holding the ground, and as it feels at least semi-plotted, the effect isn’t quite like Pegzilla have let the song devolve into a jam so much as they’re executing a plan that involves such a plunge. Still, doom abides.
Classic doom. There’s only one guitar, but I’ll still liken that central riff to Trouble, or maybe The Obsessed if that’s a more comfortable comparison point, and that’s bolstered through the conveyed cynicism of the vocals. But that post-chorus solo stretch comprises half the song, so you wouldn’t say it wants for substance. “Bootlicker” is shorter and hookier, so the broader take of “Virginia Werewolf” is complementary in that way, tied together even further by the underlying Sabbathianism of its comedown — Barsse is right there on the bassline in that transition; it’s the kind of moment that would’ve raised a smile while they were recording — leading to an ending of residual amplifier hum, the notion of a jam encapsulated without necessarily deviating from the song’s root intent.
If they keep going like this, people are going to start asking when a debut full-length is going to happen. I don’t know that they’re thinking in that direction at all, but Pegzilla sound like they’ve done the preliminary ‘I have a new project’ explorations and have figured out at least some of what they’re about. No, I’m not going to tell you that a band who don’t have a record out yet have nailed down every aspect of their aesthetic — which would imply no growing to do and be ridiculous; ideally a band never stops learning who they are — but that progression is underway and in this two-tracker, it sounds like they’re aware of the direction in which they’re steering. What comes next, I don’t know [Edit 02.23: now I do; debut album, Disobedience, coming in September], but I’ll be keeping an ear out.
PR wire info follows the track premiere on the player below, and again, “Bootlicker” (the cover of which makes me want to get a t-shirt that says ‘Not all fat people are nazis’), is down by the links at the bottom.
Please enjoy:
Pegzilla, “Virginia Werewolf” track premiere
Southern California witchy doom trio PEGZILLA are releasing a monsterous new single at the end of February. “Virginia Werewolf” is a song about coming to terms with the flaws of those we idolize.
It’s about the quandary of art vs. artist.
The disappointment we feel when they fail at meeting our idealized expectations vs. the appreciation of the art.
At what point do we disengage from art that we love due to the actions of the artist? While the song provides no answer, it expresses the frustration felt when learning harsh truths and the ethical debacle that comes with an era where personal taste has become a public mark of character.
“Virginia Werewolf” will be released on Friday February 27th, 2026.
see PEGZILLA live:
04/18 – Kalispell MT @ Rocky Mountain Riff Fest
Pegzilla is:
Guitar/Vox – Olivia Saperstein
Bass – Juan Barsse
Drums – Ryan Swain
[Band photo by Lexi Bonin.]
