Dopethrone - Electric Wizard > Reviews > The heaviest album ever.

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Groundbreaking
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	Flawless
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Outstanding
Value for Money	Excellent

Advantages:	The Heaviest band on earth .
Disadvantages:	may be too much for some people .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Electric wizard, a band often associated with British underground extreme metal. With a sound mimicked by hundreds yet truly their own. Electric wizard are the masters of Doom or Sludge metal, blending Sabbath-like riffs over eerie psychedelic electronic pieces. Blasting drums and churning bass beats pound your senses as waves of feedback ripple into the back of your mind.

This type of music has always been associated with heavy cannabis use, the band themselves proclaim themselves to be incredibly heavy stoners and the music simply reeks of it. Its best described as Black Sabbath slowed down to about 4RPM with more fury.

Many of Electric wizards songs reach over 10 minutes in length, often giving an epic, yet sludgy sound to much of their work. This sound is definitely not mainstream yet has a large underground following, it is possible to go into HMV and buy any one of their records.

Dopethrone, their third release was a monumental release in British extreme metal. It has been called the perfect Doom album. An epic, endless barrage of fat, distorted riffs beat your ear drums senseless as raw and savage vocals rip through your brain, sending shivers down your spine.

This all came in 2000, Dopethrone was release to an unsuspecting public and received rave reviews from all metal magazines. the album itself almost never got made, the guitarist, vocalist and writer of all material, jus oborn was immensely ill after almost killing his kidneys and liver after a massive pill and speed binge. After making an incredible recovery, electric wizard hit the studio and produced an album with so much venom, vile riffs and dark heavy undertones that its mark continues to scar peoples ears.

8 tracks on one album (9 on the re-release,) each one a defining moment in sludge rock.

1 – Vinium Sabbathi

a short, punky opening track, by punky I do not mean a fast number, I mean more 3- chord orientated. Discordant chords and fat bass kick this track off as screaming vocals crash an endless guitar riff into your brain. Incredible stuff.

2 - Funeralopolis

An 8 minute epic, beginning with a bluesy jam, the riffs are introduced at a snails pace but last throughout the song, the sound changes when an effects pedal is stamped upon, an uplifting and inspiring guitar chord flies through the air backed by a million watts of distortion. An epic one this, guitar riffs are held on for dear life as the music grips you.

3 - Weird tales
The albums truest epic, 15 minutes of pure destruction on a slower scale. Divided into 3 parts, this track is just one rollercoaster into doom. Beginning with a chugging riff, weird tales launches straight into electric frost, the beginning suite of this 3 part saga.
The riff is repeated and repeated, drumming endless rhythms into your brain, every so often the slightest thing is changed in the riff, making you appreciate electric wizards brilliance and mastery of their chosen genre.
Electric frost moves into Golgotha with dreadful ease, the riff just stops and moves into a slow psychedelic journey of disturbed riffing and endless chugging bass. Distorted, discordant guitars rip a solo though the midsection of the song as bass and drums keep the endless pounding of the riff driven straight into your brain.
Golgotha subsides into a soundscape filled with sliding guitars and eerie psychedelic
Overtones send you into a subdued, fazed out state, the monumentum of the riff and sheer power make you appreciate the intensity of such a band.

4 - Barbarian.

A mid-sized electric wizard song, 6 and a half minutes of searing scuzz – rock, vocals and guitar are more present and focussed in this song giving it a more immediate edge. Through the song, the primary riff is planted directly into your head and all the nuances to its rhythm and speed are shown through its discreet changing of effects and from verse to verse. Interesting and more ‘typical,’ Wizard.

5 - I, the witchfinder.

The second most longest track on the album, beginning with a single guitar riff being played with intensity and intent. Driven into your mind as drums pick up the guitar and meet with crashing cymbals. Epic in all sense of the word. The lyrics take you back to a time when pagan believes were challenged by all those who opposed them.
Breaking off into a jazzy interlude the vocals start, building itself back into its monumentous, powerful riff, words are screamed in a distorted manner, constantly switching from different riffs at such an immensely slow pace boggles the mind of how you could write such music.

6 - The hills have eyes.

A short (46 second) interlude featuring no distortion, just a mildly acidic funky guitar passes through the speakers and calms you for the next monster.

7 - We hate you

Venomous, vile and disturbing, all describe the music as well as the lyrical overtones. Seething, violent guitar riffs ooze their way into your ears as the vocals, sung this time, are woven into your ears. Riffs that build themselves whilst lead guitar parts punctuate the maelstrom of distortion, building intensity and the impetus of the song. Breaking down from verse to verse, riffs are piled into your head and left their without a regard to personal safety.

8 - Dopethrone

The final song on the album, also possibly the heaviest. Slow, heavy and all about strange visions of distant planes evoked by the far-out drugs the band are on. Epic, jazzy vibes, psychedelic without being pretentious and simply amazing.

Electric wizard are one of my favourite bands of all time. They lie close to my heart with a truly original and awe inspiring sound. Those with an open mind could do themselves no harm by checking them out.

Information.

Electric wizard are:
Jus oborn : guitars,vocals & effects
Tim bagshaw: bass, fuzz, bass effects
Mark greening: assault and battery.

Recorded in 2000. reissued in 2004 by rise above records.
 

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Dopethrone cover