Wicked Wizzard – Wicked Wizzard – Album Review

Heavy-ass, stoner rockers from Spain, Wicked Wizzard‘s self-titled debut album is a Sabbath lovin’ exercise in proto-doom-riffery, tumbling forth from the ether with earth-shaking grooves and a garage-rock sense of urgency. If a modern comparison is required, look no further than The Sword – with their DIY odes to the inventors of our beloved genre informing the core of Wicked Wizzard’s work.

Chugging riffs stop and start with wild abandon and while the likes of “Witchstone” are full-on throat grabbers, it’s left to the almost Shadows(!) like simplicity of “Swamp” – which transforms itself into a stoner fans wet-dream – to hypnotise and cajole the senses. “Rainy Sabbath” (great title) then nicks all the best bits from whichever Black Sabbath song happens to be your favourite and wrings pure nostalgia out of it; the sounds of the 70’s heaviest bands distilled into 3+ mins of riff-filled worship and Ozzy-esque howls.

Delivering nothing but heavy metal distilled to its purest and most succinct form, Wicked Wizzard may not be revolutionary….but they sure as hell stomp and roll with familiar, even comforting, satisfaction! 7/10

Get your grubby mitts on a copy of Wicked Wizzard here!