Majestica, Therion-live. ex-Captain Crimson bassist/guitarist/vocalist Chris David had a sound in his head, a sound that merged the doom of his fellow Swedes Candlemass and Witchcraft with the polished electric blues of the USA's workaholic guitarist Joe Bonamassa. To bring this vision to life David needed to recruit musicians who shared his vision and so in came Richard Eriksson on drums, Mattias Linusson on Hammond organ and Andreas Eriksson on guitar to record an EP of songs under the collective name of Wizdoom. Now whether this line up is set in stone or has been put together by David just for this project Desert Psychlist does not know but given the strength of the songs on the bands debut "Trolldoom"(Moving Air Music) and the way these guys bring those songs to life, we hope its the former rather than the latter.
Given
David's work with
Therion its not surprising that elements of polished
symphonic metal creep into
Wizdoom's groove from time to time but fear not you lovers of the gnarly riff, those elements are just that... elements and on the whole "
Trolldoom" is all about the
doom. Opening number "
Doomed Fleet" is a prime example of
David's vision for
Wizdoom its gnarled riffs and pounding rhythms are of the sort that bands like
Witchcraft and
Spiritual Beggars built their reputations on while its quieter more considered moments possess the atmospheric grandeur that were once the territory of bands like
Candlemass and
Solitude Aeturnus.
David's vocal is magnificent throughout and ranges from husky and gritty to
Dio-esque and operatic while managing to comfortably accommodate all stations in-between. The
bluesier
stoner side of
Wizdoom gets an airing on next track "
The Half Living Realm", a
blues flecked number that builds from humble beginnings into a stomping rocker routinely punctuated by soaring tasteful lead from
Andreas Eriksson. "
Way of the Lost" follows, an undulating
doom ballad/torch song given wings by
Linusson's keyboards and taken to another level by an incredible vocal performance from
David. The highlight of the album for
Desert Psychlist has to be next track "
Engrave" its fractured fist pumping groove, underpinned by
David's growling bass and
Richard Eriksson's thunderous drumming, is just joyously addictive and is further enhanced by some serious shredding from guest guitarist
Tommy Johansson (
Sabaton/
Majestica), and of course it goes without saying how good
David's vocals are here. And so we finally arrive at title track "
Trolldoom" its
bluesy
doomic groove, boosted by whooshing Hammond organ and scorching guitar work, effectively bringing to a close what has been a highly entertaining collection of
blues flavoured
doominosity.
The beauty of
Wizdoom's "
Trolldoom" is in the balance of its grit with its polish, the five songs to be found inhabiting this stunning debut
EP have an appeal that will sit well with both those who like their
doom to have a certain grandiose traditional sheen and those who like their
doom a little gnarled and dirty, lets hope there is more to come.
Check it out ...
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