The psychedelic rock/metal trio from Philadelphia known as Wizard Eye are set to release their brand new self-titled album for Black Monk Records, and it's indeed a good one. Comprised of Erik Caplan (guitar, theremin, vocals), Dave Shahriari (bass, vocals), and Mike Scarpone (drums, percussion), the band describe their sound as "A fusion of bottom-heavy grooves, fiery fuzz, churning bass, otherworldly effects and raw vocals with roots still planted firmly into the lysergic soil of '70s acts like Hawkwind, Budgie, Blue Cheer, Captain Beyond, Motörhead and Black Sabbath, Wizard Eye shows the band operating at the pinnacle of its creative and musical abilities." That's quite a statement, but not far from reality actually, as Wizard Eye is chock full of many of the attributes that all those classic acts brought to the table, plus the bands own individual style. Opening up with the killer instrumental "Eye of the Deep", which unloads slabs of fuzz guitar and intoxicating grooves at the listener, the band then launches into the psych/stoner classic "Flying Falling", a brain melting meeting of vintage Black Sabbath & Hawkwind, complete with crushing riffage and a trippy vibe. "Phase Return" rumbles along like a doomy Motorhead, right down the gravelly Lemmy influenced vocals, and slashing wah-wah lead guitars stab in and out of the mix on the menacing "Graybeard". If it's all about the riffs for you (and what doom/psych/stoner fan doesn't love heavy riffs??), then you will need to check out the monstrous "Drowning Daydream", the lumbering "My Riposte Is Like Lightning", or the sensational Sabbath-meets-St. Vitus stomp of "Thunderbird Divine" for prime examples of slow, crushing, power chord delights. There's even a spooky epic titled "Nullarbor" for all the pure psych lovers out there, and the 8-minute closer "Stoneburner" kind of tosses all these elements together for a punishing finale.
If there's anything to detract from what must sound like a smashingly good time, it's the vocals. More often than not, the gravelly, pained, semi-growly/bellowing vocals just float around in the distance like an afterthought, and to be honest, they just aren't very good. I'd love to see the band concentrate more on them, or, find someone who can really sing, whether they choose a growler or more of a melodic style. It's kind of a shame as from a musical standpoint, there's a lot of great stuff going on here.
Track Listing
1. Eye of the Deep
2. Flying Falling
3. Phase Return
4. Graybeard
5. Drowning Daydream
6. My Riposte Is Like Lightning
7. Nullarbor
8. Thunderbird Divine
9. Stoneburner
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