RSS Feed


WIZARD DEATH
I Am The Night

Wise Blood (2024)
Rating: 7.5/10

What a high octane slab of metal this is. Three tracks of energy and power from a band fresh out of Fort Wayne, Indiana, but what makes Wizard Death even more interesting is that it’s the creation of father and son team Tim and Alex Kenefic.

Tim, who has played guitar for Assimilator alongside several other local bands, teamed up with his young son (who is currently still at school) Alex whose obsession with the Harry Potter and Goosebumps series of books prompted both of them to start writing lyrics. The result is this scorching three-track affair aided by Witch Mountain members Kayla Dixon, who provides lead vocals on the title track, and Rob Wrong, who not only plays lead guitar on ‘Slay The Serpent’ but mixed the EP too.

Imagine a classic heavy metal release that would provide an ideal soundtrack to the He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe cartoon series. It’s all very mystical, and with Alex having the final say lyrically Tim brings such sword n’ sorcery tales to life. Aimed at fans of vintage metal gods such as Iron Maiden and Mercyful Fate, this outing sizzles with an 80s aura, particularly on the title track led by Dixon’s ferocious voice.

The aforementioned ‘Slay The Serpent’ begins in a crushing, almost doomy fashion circa Slayer’s South Of Heaven opus fused with Mercyful Fate. Sandwiched in-between the title track and ‘Slay The Serpent’ is the monstrous ‘Under The Southern Cross’ where again the band resorts to a mix of blazing metal and trudgier segments.

Heavy metal purists will dig the aesthetics of this release, mostly because of those lyrics which will transport you back to a time when us metalheads were convinced that demons lurked in vinyl records.

Neil Arnold

<< Back to Album & EP Reviews



Related Posts via Categories
Share