Enter Wizards of Kaos (or WOK), a Canadian rock band who will be unleashing their eponymous debut album upon the rock-loving segments of the world population later this month. The band is categorized as a stoner rock band, but I think there is much more to the music on this album than just stoner rock.
Granted, there is a considerable influence from southern rock, and the spirit of the tracks on Wizards of Kaos can definitely be traced back to the hard rock of the 70s. However, there are plenty of metal elements on this album, some of which are so aggressive that I strongly recommend that you do not get stoned while listening to the album, as heard in 'Digging Up Our Dead', which even features some thrashy elements. While the southern groove is a central element on this album, neatly unifying all the tracks on Wizards of Kaos, you will find that the album is actually also quite varies, drawing on different genres within the hard rock and metal universe. For instance, the instrumental 'Ear Hole' combines heavy metal grooves and chucking riffage with post punk dissonance and alternative rock guitar melodies, and 'New World Mistress' features both heavy grooves and a boogie drive not unlike that of Cathedral's 'Ride', and 'The Great Shadow' draws on a very metallic main riff and a groovy bridge, while 'White Face' has an almost sludgy and punky edge to it.
There are virtually no weak track on this album, and I really like the raw and organic production Wizards of Kaos have opted for. The guitars are extremely distorted, and the bass has a fat bottom to it, while the drums have an authentic round sound to them – I also love the organic hippy-behind-the-kit drumming style, and the guitarists' use of grooves and guitar harmonies both score a lot of points in my book.
Fans of southern rock, sludge rock and stoner metal will definitely like Wizards of Kaos' debut album, and anyone who likes the groove should not hesitate to go out and buy it as soon as it is released.
Track listing:
1. Zeros and Ones
2. Bombs and Gasoline
3. Coyote Eyes
4. Digging up Our Dead
5. Down from the skies
6. Ear Hole
7. New World Mistress
8. Pain & Misery
9. Running Red
10. Sixteen
11. The Great Shadow
12. The River
13. White Face
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