The problem with stoner-doom is that the paths for experimentation are extremely limited at this point. Every plain stoner metal album is derivative of the same sound that has been heard a million times. That is not even unacknowledged at this point. It kind of puts into reference the genius of Black Sabbath as well. The way a lot of bands do try to stand out is by adding psychedelic rock, sludge and other influences to accentuate the stoner riffs.
Electric Wizard in its initial years were pretty solid at what they did – the unforgettable guitar tone and riffing has influenced many a bands in the genre, and their albums ‘Come My Fanatics…’ and ‘Dopethrone’ are still considered the quintessential stoner/doom albums. Consequent albums did not have the memorability of these classics, but Electric Wizard continued to do what they do best.
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Electric Wizard has Clayton Burgess (also seen in Satan’s Satyrs) as the new bassist for the new album, and Mark Greening has made way (things happened) for Simon Poole for the responsibility of the drums. And ‘Wizard Bloody Wizard’ is nothing you would not expect out of Electric Wizard. They take their Sabbath influence to the next level, and that is not just with the album title.
There is more of the bluesy doom influence here, and the first track “See You in Hell”, which was also the single that was released, is an example of it. There are a lot of meandering riffs in the first half of the album, but starting from the short psychedelic track “The Reaper”, the riffs are solid again as the Sabbath worship kicks in. And the final track “Mourning of the Magicians” is my favourite track on the record.
You don’t expect a change of direction or technical experimentation or anything like that from Electric Wizard; they play their favorite kind of rock and roll – dirty, slow and heavy – and that is that. If you enjoy Electric Wizard in general, this is another album you would throw money at. If you are looking for something new for a change though, you won’t find it here.