The Black Wizards – ‘Lake Of Fire’ (2015)
Some things have been invented a very long time ago. The wheel and gunpowder are two things that spring to my mind. No one is going to claim to have invented the wheel or gunpowder but both have been in use for quite a few millennia. As the wheel can be transformed into circles of many sizes so can gunpowder be used for ever shifting colourful fireworks. Such is the case with The Black Wizards’ debut album, ‘Lake Of Fire’.
Drinking from the same fountains as many of the contemporary bands around, The Black Wizards present us with a set of songs that give a new twist on previously heard sounds and stamp their own personality on these long tunes that pass by seamlessly. Permeated with barely in control guitar feedback like a classic long lost proto heavy rock band, The Black Wizards capture the spirit of records done with a sense of urgency lacking on some of today’s groups. It’s as if they have been dwelling in obscurities having learned all there is to learn with more famous ’70s groups and then moving on. Slow and heavy, The Black Wizards reach further to invoke a sonic pallet that reeks of genuine pleasure in what they do. Never losing track of rhythm and momentum, they take us deeper into their own little lake of fire. And boy, does that lake burn… If heavy riffing is your deal, look no further. Also, if frantic and relentless fuzzed out guitar solo freak outs is your thing, then get ready because these guys are not afraid to step on their fuzz pedals and eclipse you out of existence.
A solid body of work, ‘Lake Of Fire’ is more than an excellent calling card into the foray of long players. It’s like a huge bonfire in the middle of the night. Throughout the album, The Black Wizards display a dizzying and dazzling interplay between guitarists Joana Brito and Paulo Ferreira, held on like non sniffed glue by bassist João Mendes and completely blown to bits by explosive powerhouse drummer Helena Peixoto. All this is punctuated by Joana Brito who doubles as vocalist and adds a bluesy feel to their doom infected groove. The best example of this ferocity is the pair of tracks ‘Gypsy Woman’ and ‘Lake Of Fire’. On this particular set of tracks, there are no stop signs as they grind you to the ground until you are nothing more than ashes scattered into oblivion by the wind. What links these two songs is an atomic bomb of a drum solo as if Helena Peixoto is playing Madison Square Garden in 1971 and you feel transported back to the time when drum solos were actually something to listen to!
Stand out tracks also include ‘I Don’t Mind’ and the incredibly powerful opener ‘Pain’ which promise to be a crowd pleaser. With their incredibly catchy heavy hooks, one wonders what kind of wizardry these people are into. The subtle use of percussion also adds an extra flavour through the path of this record slowing it down a notch. When you reach the end of the record, you realize you have been bulldozed with stellar guitar work and stone age mega riffage and the search party begins to salvage your remains from the bottom of the lake.
Carlos Ferreira
The Black Wizards – ‘Lake Of Fire’ (Ragingplanet / Vinil Experience 2015)
