Enguerrand Dumas (bass and backing vocals), Florent Michaud (guitar and lead vocal) and Christophe Hogommat (drums) are collective from Lyon, France working beneath the slightly odd name of Wizard Must Die. Who this wizard is and why he must die is not made exactly clear but what is crystal clear is that the music this trio create is something quite special and unique, something listening to their stunning debut album, "In The Land of the Dead Turtles", will more than testify to.
If we were forced to play the genre description game then Desert Psychlist would have to say that Wizard Must Die's musical attack probably falls between that of psych laced stoner rock and prog but even that description doesn't really do justice to the sonic platter Wizard Must Die lay before their listeners. There are times, during "In The Land of the Turtles", that the listener maybe reminded of Steve Wilson's Porcupine Tree and then others where elements of All Them Witches cerebral psych-blues may come to mind however those moments are fleeting and probably just our ears trying to get a familiar handle on a sound that is refreshingly unique and sonically a little different. From first track "In The Land", with its gentle dirge-like acoustic folksiness, to the slow building and heavily lysergic "Odyssey", with its eastern tinted motifs ,Wizard Must Die take their listeners on a journey that although dives into a variety of differing waters never stays submerged in one place long enough to get thoroughly soaked, the band cleverly avoiding any musical cul-de-sacs by taking each of the seven songs, that make up "In The Land of the Dead Turtles", off on a myriad of exciting tangents and directions. Add into this heady mix ,of prog- like complexity and swirling psychedelic looseness, mellow lead and backing vocals and you arrive at a sound that is not only intelligent but is also rocking!
Take a stroll "In The Land of the Dead Turtles", an album that maybe lacking in turtles but more than makes up for in musical excellence.
Check it out ….
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