Whilst there are a whole host of bedroom
based black metal acts out there, solo doom projects are a bit more elusive (well,
except Joe Preston’s awesome Thrones, of course). West Virginia’s incredibly
prolific one man doom band Wizardrone (AKA Jason Wright) seems to be on a
mission to change that, releasing no less than 5 full lengths in the last 4
years. This self-titled release (his first physical release) is a compilation,
featuring some re-recorded versions of earlier tunes, and stands up pretty well
for the most part.
Wizardrone’s sound is thick and swampy, but
also quite distant and eerie. Whilst there are a couple of misfires, when Jason
is on form he totally nails it. ‘Curse Of The Ill Fated’ is perhaps the most
successful track here, with its gargantuan riffs and militaristic drumming
rolling out of the speakers like some kind of mystical sonic tank, flattening
your face in the process. The howling vocals and extended psychedelic outro are
the icing on the cake, making this song feel like Ufomammut’s younger brother.
‘Loxleigh The Warlock’s Apprentice’ churns along with queasy grooves, distant
reverb drenched vocals and eerie occult vibes, and the evil sounding riff
halfway through ‘Blood Of The Heretic’ is great, complete with an almost
Burzum-esque drumbeat. ‘Army Of The Ancients’ escalates into full-on bouts of
doom-laden riff worship, that sounds a bit like an Electric Wizard practice
being recorded from a few rooms away.
It may seem like an obvious comparison, but
aesthetically speaking, Wizardrone feels kind of like a less de-tuned Black
Mayonnaise. The supremely lo-fi production values are both a blessing and a
curse for many of these lysergic funeral dirges; whilst the muffled bass tone
prevents much of the material from coming across as truly crushing, the hazy
sound does lend these songs a strange and slightly unnerving atmosphere. And,
like Black Mayonnaise, Jason seems to be at his best when operating in the less
conventional spheres of songwriting. The soundscape pieces like ‘Deuteronomy
(After The Beginning)’ and ‘Enter The Desolate Woods Of Fear’ are especially
atmospheric and really add something to the album, and are often more
captivating than some of the doomier fare on offer.
Standing at a well over an hour, ‘Wizardrone’
is quite a mammoth undertaking, but unlike some doom odysseys, doesn’t quite
feel cohesive enough to warrant its lengthy running time. A little trimming
would ultimately result in a better listening experience, but there’s still
enough bizarre, acid-fried outsider doom on offer here to entice the more
adventurous listener. Jason seems to have a knack for conjuring up strange
atmospheres, with much of the record feeling like the aural equivalent of an
extremely warped Hammer Horror VHS, and it should be pretty interesting to
watch him hone his craft further on future recordings.
http://www.facebook.com/wizardrone
words by Kez Whelan
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