Review Summary: The point where the fanatics started to come
Pales in comparison to their later earth-shuddering releases, but is still earth-shuddering in comparison to other rather pale metal bands. Their business is heavy, and even in the early days business was booming, literally.
Tongue in cheek lyrics of fantasy are spewed forth timidly but with the sort of nerdish enthusiasm an avid player would have during a game of Dungeons and Dragons. Besides, its all about the music which when turned to Spinal Tap volume levels is mind blowing, as the cocky stomp of 'Electric Wizard' proves. Despite the lumbering doom metal rumble, theres a sense of ultra slowed boogie throughout the album evident on tracks like the irresistibly sludgy monster groove of opener 'Stone Magnet' or colossal 'Behemoth', and bong water psychedelia a la spacey solos throughout the record or galactic jam 'Mountains of Mars'. It does get a little 'samey', even for doom metal, but its known that patience is rewarded in this genre, and that applies here.
An impressive debut, laying doom metal foundations which they had no trouble shaking with future ever more skull crushing albums, surpassing this one only in terms of heaviness. Which when it comes to Electric Wizard, is all that matters, right?
Highlights: Stone Magnet, Electric Wizard, Black Butterfly
