Review Summary: Descending into a nightmare of bong-induced mysticism.
Electric Wizard's
Supercoven is a voyage through lengthy instrumental passages decorated in a ghastly ambience. It opens with the eponymous track,
"Supercoven". A flourishing release of gloomy psychedelia set the mood as it's cosmic vibe flows through our senses. Inducing a haunting atmosphere that keeps us hypnotized as the sounds of droning guitars begin to take over, having us descend deeper and deeper into that familiar abyss of inescapable darkness. It is an ominous, yet spellbinding experience right to the very end.
"Burnout" displays a different agenda. The instrumental elements have a much more elevated pace than
"Supercoven", containing a more complex orchestration of guitar arrangements. The music reflects the mind-altering sensation of drugs as psychedelia decorates it's content. The lyrical verses project the familiar topics of drug usage that are often found in the music of Electric Wizard. The narrator confesses himself as a slave to that pleasurable sensation. Referring to a drug-induced state, that psychological seclusion where one enters that bordering line between imagination and reality. A moment in time were addiction seduces logic, and the only thing that matters is absolute euphoria. The guitar sections of this song are mind-blowing. These are passages where guitars replace lyrics as a form communication, letting the instrument express all of the intensity and aggression that posses it's musicians.
An updated version of Supercoven was reissued in 2000, which also contains two extra songs. The production on the bonus tracks is a bit rougher.
"Wizards of Gore" is from a 1994 demo and
"Electric Wizard" is a Live take from a show in Netherlands in 1996. This is a release that will be sure to quench the thirst of any admirer of Stoner Metal looking to venture into an odyssey through brutal psychedelic passages.