Ready for some classic sounding hard rock & heavy metal? Look no further than this latest effort from Spain's The Wizards, titled Rise of the Serpent. Containing 8 tracks, Rise of the Serpent boasts some strong production values that really highlights the effective guitar riffs and dynamic drumming, the band taking their love of all things Black Sabbath, Thin Lizzy, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, and Deep Purple and creating a vintage sounding album that will thrill any heavy music fan. It's not hard to decipher all the little NWOBHM bits throughout the album, from the fist pumping gallop of "Destiny" to the Maiden/Priest/Lizzy goodness of "Apocalyptic Weapons", there's twin guitar madness, high pitched vocals, and manic drum work to be found around every corner. "Circle of Time" has a killer riff and plenty of scorching guitar solos, Sir Ian Mason also delivering a really catchy chorus, while the somewhat prog/doom track "Distorted Mirrors" is like a midnight meeting of Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, and Uriah Heep. "Age of Man" is more of a '70s styled hard rocker, again reminding of vintage Thin Lizzy, while "Strings Synchronise" and "Aftermath" are chock full of early Judas Priest thunder, the lead guitar work simply face melting every step of the way. Images of "Beyond the Realms of Death" pop up on the moody epic "VOID (Vision of Inner Death)", a great slow builder that culminates with some lumbering riffs, synth, and blazing lead guitar solos.
These "Occult Heavy Metal Warriors" as The Wizards call themselves, have knocked it out of the park here on Rise of the Serpent. Anyone into vintage sounding hard rock & heavy metal will get plenty of mileage out of this molten stewpot of heavy sounds.
Track Listing
01 Apocalyptic Weapons
02 Destiny
03 Circle of Time
04 Distorted Mirrors
05 Age of Man
06 Strings Synchronise
07 Aftermath
08 VOID (Vision of Inner Death)
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
