Exclusive Electric Wizard Spells Bind Thee

Electric Wizard live. I’m going back 20 years to a very important show in my history. This show is important for several reasons. The headlining band easily one of the best doom bands of all time. They are an extreme version of Black Sabbath.

However I think everybody do agree they don’t top Sabbath. Simply put they take Sabbath.. tune down . Play slower. Super heavy and crushing. Another reason this show is a landmark? The year is 2002.

The rumor on June 27th 2002 is that the Wizard is playing their last show.

I promptly left the screen press for the day. I travelled from Central NJ down to Philly PA. A very memorable evening drive. A major storm brews, literally. By the time I reached the Pennsylvania / Philly city outskirts, the sky looked epic. A cross between the final battle in DragonSlayer (look that up kids) and Close Encounters. The scene right before the UFO abducts the child.

The soundtrack I listened to was Emperor’s In the Night Side Eclipse which may be the perfect album for a drive through one of the most brooding skies ever. I parked and made it to the gig. Khyber Pass in Philadelphia. Little did I know that I would be living there shortly after. Many gigs followed there. It’s a small room. I’d guess capacity if it were maxed. 100 ish. Perhaps slightly less or more If you count the separate bar area and the small room where the stage lives.

This gig seemed less crowded considering the size of Electric Wizard’s sound (Immense for a three piece). However the skies did open up and it was a weeknight (Thursday) which could discourage others like me from driving to this one. Additionally I don’t drink and I’m younger. This makes it easier to go see several bands and drive 3 hours round trip on a work night.

Usually the next day I am high on the fun I had which offsets the fatigue of the drive and standing for nearly 16 hours with only a break to drive and walk.

As a printer I spent the workday standing. Tiring but worth it. On the other hand we got to play whatever we wanted such as Dopethrone by Electric Wizard. In fact my boss, Geoff, loves Electric Wizard too. How could I afford to NOT go?

Once inside the venue there was not much time before the first band. This is where stuff gets hazy as its been twenty years. I struggle to remember the fine details of this night. I think these bands played and if not please drop a line.

First up is Unearthly Trance. Check them out. Impressive catalog. https://unearthlytrance.bandcamp.com/album/nuit Again it’s blurry who played what gig after two decades. I did see a band called March Into The Sea at a doom show once but i’m almost certain it was not this one. Unearthly Trance are heavy with slightly tortured sounding vocals. Punshingly heavy. I find it appropriate they find their way to Relapse and Southern Lord Records.

Next is Sons Of Otis. Long running space doom hailing from Toronto. Once again, I remember having a great night. Even though substances are NOT used of any kind, I cannot remember Sons of Otis, (or even my usual minutia) of any band including Electric Wizard.

Which brings us to the Sons set, had fun. Sadly can’t remember anything else. They would be playing songs from 1994’s Paid To Suffer up until 2001’s Pusher EP.

The mighty Electric Wizard were the headliner. A three piece juggernaut from UK. At this time Let Us Prey was the latest or newest. I was obsessed with Dopethrone. Their set may have been comprised of songs that predate Dopethrone. Songs from self titled release and Come My Fanatics.They sounded great. Imagine the power of maxed out watts of doom in a pub size venue.

The melodic and blues elements of Sabbath barely present, just bare bones riffing. Electric Wizard = three piece leviathan of metal

Electric Wizard have one small set of goals. Tune down. Make the air thicker with low frequencies. Play guitar and bass as heavy and menacing as possible. Goals achieved.

One peculiar thing thing I did notice was the bassist, (Tim Bagshaw?) was wearing some huge raver like jeans. Not bell bottom inspired from 60s / 70s but rather Jnco style. The drummer kicked serious ass. If you refer to the above video you can see.

Please subscribe to this You Tube if you are a fan of doom, metal and the like. There is this and lots to see.

Jus Osbourn (Guitar and Vocals) is the officiator of the crushing heavy spells that EW weaves.

This is my one and only time seeing them live. Jus sounded as good as recorded tracks but obviously bring the in person live persona and vocals. They mesh into the doomscape.

Guitar tone is cutting, searing, and oppressive. Fuzzed out, tuned down, and calculated slowness. Drummer is flying all over the kit with what looks like fluidity and ease. If the beats are slow and hard, he accentuates between the beats with fast cymbal bell and or tom hits. The bass is even lower end than normal. Begging the question, how low can you downtune before you lose string tension?

Keep in mind the year is 2002. In the last five years nearly every beginning metal bassist and guitarist wants to be this heavy. They want to play 7 , 8 , string guitars and yet don’t know the tuning. Same for bassists. They tune to C without good tension or setup and end up sounding like an electric fartbox.

Electric Wizard knew how to avoid this in 2002 and used the downtune to their full advantage.

It just clicks and doesn’t come off sounding ridiculous. Yes I am calling many of you modern headbangers out. So many sound like fart and burp boxes. If that is your goal, great.

Back the the show. Although I can’t remember songs and trivial details, it is a landmark occasion. I’m grateful that Electric Wizard played the U.S. this year and I honestly thought this was a chance that should not be missed. I’ll post the remaining pics as I discover more.