After the befuddled + disappointing farewell of the original cataclysmic Electric Wizard lineup, 2002's "Let Us Prey," sole remaining member Jus Oborn took a couple years off to assemble a new band. He ended up picking his bird Liz Buckingham (ex-Sourvein) as a second guitarist, Justin Greaves on drums, and Rob al-Issa on bass. Fans looked upon this lineup with trepidation, and rightly so. Compared to the deeply sinister syncopation of Mark Greening, Greaves sounded like an accountant. Al-Issa could certainly play the bass guitar, but completely lacked the Jamaican influence that defined original Tim Bagshaw's playing and made the classic EW platters so engrossing.
The record they came up with, 2004's "We Live," sounded like a joke compared to their earlier work, and EW fanatics put on sackcloth and ashes and sat around wreathed in bitter smoke as they mourned the former lords of doom.
And so it was with great surprise that I plopped 2007's "Witchcult Today" on the turntable and was enrapt less then a minute after the needle drop. As it happened, this record turned out to be what critics call a "return to form." Here's how :
Like "Dopethrone" years before it, "Witchcult Today" wastes no time in whomping the listener with music that is powerful, tectonic, and just terribly heavy. The opening title cut envelops the listener in a sly tarlike groove while Oborn plies his tale of modern cultcraft. I'll also say here that "Witchcult Today" is one of the great song / LP titles of all time. If anyone is selling subscriptions to that magazine, sign me up.
The punches don't let up, as after seven malevolent minutes of "Witchcult," EW launches into the groovy, hard-swinging, and highly sinister "Dunwich." This song somehow manages to sound doomy even at a fast tempo; Oborn throws a slurveball in this one by doing some cool-sounding vocal harmonies. "Dunwich" is wickedly fun and brings a taste of chaotic party vibe a la White Zombie.
Next up comes the unforgettable "Satanic Rites of Drugula," which (witch) is self-parodic, cartoonish, and wonderful. "Your dope-laced blood shows me new highs," indicates Oborn. One again detects the Zombie influence here, more in the lyrics and attitude than the music; the pace is doom molasses.
Next come a couple decent tunes, "Raptus" and "The Chosen Few," but these are really just a bridge to my favorite song on this disc, the horrifying and witty "Torquemada '71." If you're like me, anytime you hear the word "Torquemada", two things come immediately to mind : the awful ethnic violence that was the Spanish Inquisition, and Mel Brooks' uproarious portrayal of the torturer Torquemada in his ribsplitting "History of the World, pt.1," wherein he treats the Inquisition as Broadway to hootworthy effect. "Torquemada : Do not ask for mercy. You can't Torquemada anything!" THE WIZARD brings so much intensity and lumbering swagger to this song that it's impossible to resist its ridiculous pull. Oh, one more thing : in this song, Oborn has Torquemada getting it on with a revenant Countess Bathory. More than any other song, this one brings back the snarl, humor, and pulverizing weight that brought us into the Electric Wizard fold to begin with.
The record closes with the thunderous ambient doom instrumental "Black Magic Rituals and Perversions," which is kind of a cop-out, but it does sound pretty cool and, as Pauly Shore would say, "stoney."
One thing about this LP that you will undoubtedly notice is that most of the songs are a variation on the same groove-riff. The title cut, "...Drugula," "The Chosen Few," and "Torquemada '71" sound verrrry similar to each other. That's OK though -- THE WIZARD is going for a kind of AC/DC / Chuck Berry formal consistency here, where all the songs are more or less the same, but they all rock and rule. Suits me just fine -- I'd rather have a whole record of samey but excellent doom than one full of pointless, vibe-robbing experimentation. As I mentioned in my Doom Metal 093 class syllabus, doom is mostly about dire atmosphere.
What are the drawbacks of "Witchcult Today?" Well, the songwriting, while quite good, isn't at the staggering, unconscionably great level that characterizes "Dopethrone." Also unlike that monumental LP, the sound of "Witchcult Today" is warm and vintagey, probably thanks to the 70s-era equipment they used for recording and the new amps that Oborn employs. It sounds good, but it doesn't sound, you know, scary. It comes off like a really good 70s dirge record. "Dopethrone" sounds like a field recording of World War III.
That said, "Witchcult Today" is on par with 1997's "Come My Fanatics" -- that is, a truly great doom metal record. It brings the requisite oppressive atmosphere in vast dusty clouds of sweet lethargy. Miss it at your soul's own peril. (23,617)
So last night, one of my chums wrote me an email asking what doom metal is and who are its most notable practitioners. That's like asking a NorCal hippie swine what reefers are and what are the best types. So, I thought I'd share the result with you Latewires. Also, c'mon and chime in if you've got some wizardy insight. Freshman remedial doom academy is in session!
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DOOM 093 - 3 credit hours
Doom metal is a genre defined by ponderously slow tempo, low despairing tones, and a dire atmosphere. In doom metal, virtuosity is of low importance compared to the ability to send chills into the listener. Black Sabbath are generally credited with founding the genre. The lyrics in doom metal (as you may have guessed) are usually cartoonish verse concerning the end of the world, the complete absence of hope, depression, profound abandonment, war, the occult, demonic topics, drug abuse (cannabis in particular), along with Dracula, goblins, witches, barbarians, and other filmic monsters.
The most significant practitioners of doom metal are :
1) Electric Wizard : paradoxically the most important and most cartoonish of the post-Sabbath doom bands. Their "Dopethrone" is flawless and the ultimate touchstone of modern doom metal.
3) St. Vitus : Genius, kickstarted the modern doom movement.
5) Sleep : The most prominent and wonderful figures in "stoner doom"
5) Goatsnake : Catchy popular doom
6) Trouble : Influential Christian doom from the '80s
7) Celtic Frost / Triptykon : Avant-garde bizarre doom metal
Candlemass : Unintentionally hilarious but undeniably accomplished epic opera doom
9) Corrupted and Boris : both great Japanese experimental doom bands
10) Sunn0))) and Earth : the endless drone doom, slow beyond belief
11) Cathedral and Pentagram : more classic early doom
Newer bands I like include the most excellent Witchsorrow, Acid Witch, and Salome. (19,815)
what with the resurgence in interest in all things zombie related & the hollywoods & whatever else i just thought it would be a good goddamn time to set you fuckers straight on some straight up survival tactics to ride out the undead apocalypse & fuck shit up in the process what youre gonna need first & foremost is a motherfucking berserker someone who can weather the hordes & pack supplies to your posting spot when shit gets low cos yeah sniper mode is the way to rock it but sooner or later youre gonna need some fucking ammo & who the fuck is gonna trudge through the gutters with a useless fucking empty gun so here is a pretty fucking basic berserker setup what you need is 2 legit ass solid clawhammers a suit of chainmail a motorcycle helmet & two camel backs one full of vodka & one full of water now the crucial element of the berserker setup is that the motherfucker is gonna need a constant & steady slow drip of some serious opiates to slow his metabolism & ease the edge off the pain/keep that bitch brutalizing as he makes his way through the shitstorm to capitalize on some supplies the clawhammers make much more sense than a katana which is what everyone wants to rock until they realize that that shits gonna get dull from choppin so much fuckin bone all goddamn day long so you need a blunt weapon that can shatter skulls easily & still be ready to rock a hundred more if the berserker can get sniper backup then that shit is pretty much set legit at that point but the potential of a horde rushing your berserker is something that can only be contained with a highly tactical & practical nade tosser as the flamethrowers will just fuck your situation further & further so be sure to rock those rooftops with catwalks & whatever else you can improvise or throw together the key point here is to if at all possible support your berserker who is your lifeline now rooftops are the way to rock it if indeed you are tryin to stay alive get some plants growin as soon as possible on that shit & build some water collection tanks/dew stills to keep your asses hydrated & capable of fucking up some deceased flesh now the best spots to post upon are gonna be chain stores that stock the kinds of shit you need hopefully not located in extreme urban areas that are gonna be looted right quick once shit goes down just set up shop on top of them shits & keep the entrance down to a single stairwell if possible to maximize security & neutralize rushes its advantageous to keep your camp mobile in case supplies dry up or greener pastures expose themselves for the possibility of exploitation but just keep the thought in the back of your mind that home no longer exists & nomadic destruction is the only thing that will save your worthless soul pillage like a fucking Viking & live like a goddamn dog probably best is to take inventory once shit goes down & make a list of nearby homies that you can assemble into a team particularly the motherfucker that likes to get piss ass drunk & shoot his guns cos you know that fucker was born for the fucking life you now be livin & he comes strapped legit capable of takin care of his shit but once you have a good trustable team of 3-4 you gotta find the aforementioned post spot & get chillin now to alleviate the boredom there really aint much if you can post on a costco or whatnot you might have enough available gas to power a generator but in dire straights you aint gonna use that shit to play no armored core or nothing you gotta conserve your fucking shit like a niggardly miser probably the best way to kill time is with alcohol what with the liquid bread & all you can keep your calories up as well just be sure to chug your vitamins whenever you can & now that you got a post spot it comes down to keeping your berserker well nourished & satiated as he is the motherfucker thats gonna be carryin the team no matter what so basically the moral of the story is provide for what supplies you or be fucked but once you start fearing the faded flesh the game is called & over (30,985)
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Candlemass : Unintentionally hilarious but undeniably accomplished epic opera doom
