ELECTRIC WIZARD — We Live (review)

Album · 2004 · Stoner Metal

4/5 · 2018-07-31
UMUR

"We Live" is the 5th full-length studio album by UK stoner/doom metal act Electric Wizard. The album was released through Rise Above Records in June 2004. Although it´s only been two years since the release of "Let Us Prey (2002)" there have been some quite radical changes in the band lineup, as both bassist Tim Bagshaw, and drummer Mark Greening have left Electric Wizard, leaving vocalist/guitarist Jus Oborn as the only remaining original member. The new lineup consists of Jus Oborn (vocals, guitars), Liz Buckingham (guitars), Rob Al-Issa (Bass), and Justin Greaves (drums), making Electric Wizard a four-piece for the first time.

Stylistically the music on "We Live" pretty much continue down the same psychadelic tinged stoner/doom metal path of "Let Us Prey (2002)" though. There´s still an occult and dark atmosphere about the music (which is also obvious from reading songtitles like "Flowers of Evil a.k.a. Malfiore" and "The Sun Has Turned to Black"), and the distinct underlying aggression is present too. The riffs are crushingly heavy, and the rhythm section follows suit. There´s also a hypnotic repetitive psychadelic element to the music which is quite prominent, so while the music features regular vers/chorus structures, it often goes beyond that, and presents the listener with something a bit more structurally loose.

"We Live" is generally a very organic sounding release. The performance of the music flows naturally, the sound production is raw, earthy and analogue tinged, and the material is well balanced between structure and jam oriented sections. The 10:48 minutes long opening "Eko Eko Azarak: I. Invocation - II. Ritual" is a good example of the more loose psychadelic side of the band´s music, while the dark, crushingly heavy, and occasionally quite aggressive side is well represented in tracks like the title track and "Flowers of Evil a.k.a. Malfiore". That´s truly doomy darkness, yet still with a psychadelic touch. It´s however more a "trip gone wrong" type of psychadelic touch rather than a happy "hippie flower power" touch. "Another Perfect Day?" is another interesting track, as it opens in a pretty fast-paced rock´n´roll oriented style and then drops to a crushingly heavy doom metal style in the middle. It´s not only good for the overall variation of the album, but also works really well within the particular track. "The Sun Has Turned to Black" and "Saturn's Children" close the album in slow doomy style, and it´s only during those two tracks that it sometimes gets too repetitive and monotone.

Upon conclusion "We Live" is yet another high quality stoner/doom metal release by Electric Wizard. It´s not as surprising or innovative as some of the group´s early releases, although the psychadelic element has become stronger, and has changed the band´s sound a bit, but you can´t deny strong and memorable songwriting, excellent musicianship, and a professional, organic, and raw sound production. A 4 star (80%) rating is deserved.