| Supercoven (Mcd) | 1998 | Bad Acid Records |
The Wizards take here the opportunity to display once again their undeniable talent by offering an eclectic mix of groovy rhythms and guitar solo's, heavy riffs and dark, nihilistic atmospheres. The Lovecraftian lyrics add an extra evil dimension to their songs. Electric Wizard seems to be one of those few bands that bridge easily the gap between old-school, traditional doom and more 'modern' dark doom without ever sounding forced or over-the-top.
Not everybody shall be willing to go through this bad trip, following the Wizard into their world of psychedelic excess and cynical, repetitive grooves. Like true innovators, they divide rather than unifying the fans of the two opposite worlds (bluesy groove and nihilistic doom) which they represent. Nevertheless, their cult following couldn't care less about this. I for one, still wonder how it is possible that Jus Oborn, the singer of this band, still appears to have both his lungs at his disposal. If I was screaming for half an hour like he does on this CD, the remains of my lungs would be scattered all over the place at the end.
1. Supercoven
2. Burnout
Approx. 32 minutes
| Come my fanatics…/Electric Wizard (CD) | 1999 | Rise Above |
The first cd contains the 'Come my fanatics…' album, which is nothing short of one of the heaviest stoner doom albums ever created. The thick guitar distortion in combination with the extremely low, rambling bass sound, get through directly to one's nervous system, creating a mind-numbing mental state and an unhealthy craving for every kind of intoxicants. However, one should be careful when listening to this album under influence of mind altering stuff, because Jus Oborn's maniacal screams could easily induce a bad trip.
Quite remarkable are also the hateful lyrics on this album: "I hope your fuckin' world fuckin' burns away/I'd kill you all if I had my way". Hmm, nice guys. Sometimes the Wizard completely loses it, tripping further and further away in outer space in the company of monotonous female vocals, spacy guitar effects and other psychedelic violence ('Ivixor B/phase inducer'). But mostly, the heavy riffs simply kill, kicking every one's ass and especially of those who still think that Electric Wizard is a stoner rock band. Hallo! This is doom-METAL, and moreover of the most intense and heavy kind.
The second disc contains the band's self-titled debut. No pervasive guitar sound and inhumanly low bass sound here, just riff-based traditional doom in the good old Sabbath tradition. This is not to say that this album is not heavy or uninteresting, killer riffs in tracks like 'Devils bride' or 'black butterfly' can make your day if you're in the mood for riff-based doom. And surprise, Jus Oborn doesn't sound like a maniac any more! I bet that many old-school doom fans will probably prefer this album, although I miss a bit the psychotic madness of 'Come my fanatics… here.
So you're into stoner doom and you dig bands like Cathedral and most Southern Lord releases? Check out Electric Wizard, because it's some heavy shit!
CD1: Come my Fanatics...
1. Return trip
2. Wizard in black
3. Doom-mantia
4. Ivixor B/Phase inducer
5. Son of nothing
6. Solarian 13
CD2: Electric Wizard
1. Stone magnet
2. Mourning prayer
3. Mountains of mars
4. Behemoth
5. Devils bride
6. Black butterfly
7. Electric wizard
8. Wooden pipe
Approx. 47 minutes
(double pack re-release)
| Dopethrone (CD) | 2000 | Rise Above |
Leading off with the absolutely crushing 'Vinum Sabbathi', the Wizards shotgun eight amazing tracks down your throat. They have managed to build up an all-envelopping wave of sound with their sludgey, lethargic, monolithic, de-tuned riffing, which reeks of Black Sabbath and (ancient) Cathedral, not to mention the distorted, grizzly vocals of Jus Osborn. Combining unabashed, '70s retro riffing with some of the absolute slowest, heaviest doom imaginable, they are truly one of the most jaw-dropping bands ever to trip across a mushroom-riddled, weed-hazed cemetery.
They do not drop jaws with overly-technical compositions or blazingly fast, relentless drumming, mind you; they drop jaws with the sheer power contained in their songs. However, Electric Wizard is far from a one-trick pony: the fifteen minute, three-part "Weird Tales" (inspired by the early 1900s comic of the same name) is a spaced-out, sonically destructive jam session full of ominous, quasi-apocalyptic vibes.
Simply put, if you didn't salivate over their previous effort, and scoff at Saint Vitus's earliest works, just back off. Otherwise, pick this up, it'll have you happily (or drearily) reaching for your bong in minutes.
1. Vinum Sabbathi
2. Funeralopolis
3. Weird Tales
- Electric Frost
- Golgotha
- Altar of Melektaus
4. Barbarian
5. I, the Witchfinder
6. The Hills Have Eyes
7. We Hate You
8. Dopethrone
Released by The Music Cartel in the US with a different cover
Approx. 71 minutes
| Let us prey (CD) | 2002 | Rise Above |
The review then. 'Let Us Prey' is a very decent piece of trippy doom metal. Slow and easygoing at times and driven and groovy at others. For me, this album isn't meant to listen to thoroughly; it is rather a nice soundtrack for other activities, be it tripping or hanging in the couch or whatever. Electric Wizard create a groovy atmosphere that is nice to go along to.
'A Chosen Few' is a very straightforward Wizard song, with the grooving guitars and spacy vocals. 'We, The Undead' is even groovier still, and pretty uptempo. 'Master Of Alchemy' is my favorite of the album. It is a 9 minute long instrumental consisting of about two riffs. This sounds boring maybe, but combined with the great solo's and groove, it is worth the while. The second riff of the song (the black drug, probably) is particularly great, in my opinion. 'The Outsider' is, like the first song, another basic stoner doom song. 'Night Of The Shape', however is a more obscure and trippy track, featuring a piano and a pretty screwed up violin. I think this album could have done with more of this kind of experiments, as most of the other songs aren't very spectacular or renewing. The last song, 'Priestess Of Mars', is the best of the traditional songs. As the singer said at their show I had been to, "It's a song about Martian chicks". Be it or not, the song itself is nice and slow, even relaxed. A good finisher for an OK album.
To conclude, 'Let Us Prey' isn't the most original album, but Electric Wizard puts down some decent heavy music, that should appeal to any fan of the band or of stoner doom in general.
1. A Chosen Few
2. We, The Undead
3. Master Of Alchemy
a. House Of Whipcord
b. The Black Drug
4. The Outsider
5. Night Of The Shape
6. Priestess Of Mars
Released by The Music Cartel in the US with a different cover
Approx. 44 minutes