Wizards of Hazards - Blind Leads the Blind (2020)
What we have here is an EP from a band
with a curious history. Having allegedly been founded in 1989 under
the name Black Wizard, but changing their name to Wizards of Hazards
about six years ago, Blind Leads the Blind
is the first release listed on this Finnish group's BandCamp page.
The Black Sabbath nods are obvious just from the titles, and the
music echoes those impressions, riding a traditional heavy metal vibe
to solid effect.
Leading
off with “Children of the Damned”, the EP gets underway with
clear riffs, theatrical vocals, easy-going rhythms, and some fun
soloing from the guitar. It hits that '80s heavy metal style
dead-on, handling the heavier and higher sides with equal capability.
Production is clean, without being so glossy as to make it feel
sanitized, and the musicians do a good job balancing focus between
their instruments.
“Stoning”
follows, leaning into a slightly harder groove, and the drummer gets
to lay out some punchier action on his end, with a steady-beat
emphasis that nicely evokes the march to doom described by the
lyrics. The bridge-work is deftly handled here as well, swaying you
into another hook just long enough for the main one to return with
renewed power. “Boots of Lead” (and if you don't get that
reference, they re-emphasize it with the final chords) closes things
out by bringing in a more somber mood, though it stays firmly in the
traditional doom realm, rather than shifting into funeral doom or
death doom. And the upbeat bridge featured in this track ends up
balancing the mood out, anyway.
All
together, it makes for a nice, well-rounded demonstration of the
band's style and interests, and dishes it out quickly enough that you
can jump back into it whenever you feel like. Personally, I'm hoping
they show a wider emotional range whenever an LP comes about, but
from what's on display here, there's a lot to enjoy, and very little
to complain about.
~ Gabriel
For Fans Of; Below,
Dio-era Black Sabbath, Manowar, Pilgrim, Saint Vitus
~
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