Black Wizard
Black Wizard
Self-released

Ok, so I’m not sure this album is entirely new, but it’s new to me, and as you’re reading this the young Canucks in Black Wizard are putting the finishing touches on the vinyl version, so that’ll be new, got it? And by finishing touches I mean they are silk screening every single goddamn record jacket. That’s instant cred right there, and not just because I have a raging boner for all things rock n’ roll and all things silk screen, but because there’s no doubt that during this awesomely messy DIY process one of ‘em will get ripped to the tits on cheap beer, lose a finger tip in a freak silk screening accident, and bleed all over the freshly painted jackets. I would kill a child with a shoe to get my hands on one of those soiled copies, let me tell you.

Now, the most common words found in the names of all the bands I listen to are electric, black, and wizard. Go figure. Frankly, I am stunned that it took this long for a band to score the name Black Wizard. Of course, they sound EXACTLY like you think they’d sound with a name like that, but that’s not to label ‘em unoriginal minions of rock’s stoner elite. No, the seasoned, grisly dope show they offer up on their self-titled debut is far beyond the years that make up their ages, and their party hard street metal show belies the thick beard of righteousness that bears the brunt of their majestic doom n’ roll. They drive a van, for crying out loud, and the only people who drive vans are plumbers, predators, and creatures of the revolution…and they don’t own a wrench. The seven songs here are all fulla boss downer rock vibes and classic riffs that tumble and roll like a herd of buffalo down the side of a mountain, and while Black Wizard contains its share of the post-millennium stoner metal attitude of fellow countrymen Priestess and Bison B.C., the strength of its spell lies in its ability to channel the savage spirit of bands like Blue Cheer and Candlemass. Man, I can’t wait for that bloody vinyl. Literally.

Listen to “Waves” from Black Wizard!