Saturday 27 August 2022

Wizard Tattoo - S/T (EP Review)

Release Date: August 26th 2022. Record Label: Self Released. Format: DD

Wizard Tattoo - S/T - Tracklisting

1.Wizard Tattoo 05:50

2.A Wizard's Lie 04:57

3.Wizard Knife Fight (At a Bar) 04:49

4.No Return 04:21


Review


Wizard Tattoo is a new band from the Indianapolis, Indiana underground sound who fuse Stoner Rock, Doom Metal and Prog Metal with a slight Psychedelic seedy vision. Their debut EP is a winning mix of classic and modern day sounds that is played at a superb fast pace. There’s a cool story behind this EP that leans mightily into Prog Rock territory that tells the story about a man who thinks he’s becoming a Wizard because of his new tattoo. Hence the name of the band. 


Concept aside, Wizard Tattoo’s debut release has four tracks running for a brief twenty minutes that sees the band play a melodic style of Doom Metal and Stoner Rock with an Alternative Rock flow. The two standout tracks are Wizard Tattoo and A Wizard’s Lie that show the true creativity of the band especially when they inject some ELO inspired sounds towards the end on Wizard Tattoo but still retaining that classic Doom/Stoner Metal sound. Grizzled vocals align themselves to the darkness of the EP and it’s a refreshing change of pace that can be quite theatrical in places but it’s downright addictive.


Second track is quite funky and jazzy with cool sounding bass guitars and psychedelic beats with the Leonard Cohen inspired lyrics and vocals being more Alt Rock than Doomed Out Stoner Rock. A different side to the Wizard Tattoo but it’s a wickedly entertaining song especially when the heavy DRONED OUT atmospherics appear to inject a healthy dose of HEAVINESS to the song.


The final two songs Wizard Knife Fight (At A Bar) and No Return are pure Doom/Stoner Metal manic energy that captures a heavier side to Wizard Tattoo. Heavy grooves and superb songwriting allows Wizard Tattoo to close this EP on a mighty high with perhaps Wizard Knife Fight (At A Bar) being the most exciting of the final two tracks though the sublime instrumental work on No Return is another highlight that harks back to the day of Seventies Prog Rock.


Wizard Tattoo’s debut EP is an electrifying release that is helped along by fantastic production values that last long in the memory. 


If Wizard Tattoo keeps releasing great records such as this then the Doom/Stoner Metal Underground scene are going to love this band like I do already.


Awesome stuff.


Words by Steve Howe


Thanks to Holly at Deviate PR for the promo. Wizard Tattoo debut EP is available to buy digitally from all good stockists now.


Social Media:

https://linktr.ee/wizardtattoo