Electric Wizard, the legendary British doom behemoth, have returned with a raw and hypnotic sonic journey on *Black Magic Rituals and Perversions Vol. 1*, delivering a truly dark trip into the deepest recesses of the human psyche. Guitarist/vocalist Jus Oborn sums it up perfectly: "It’s fucking raw, like a lost black metal demo from the '70s or something. It’s nasty, it’s in-your-face, and it screams at you."
The album pulses with a ferocity that feels like it was made in the heat of a forgotten rehearsal from an era of pure, unfiltered doom. Recorded during the chaos of the 2020 pandemic, when Electric Wizard were unsure if they would ever play live again, this album is an unapologetic capture of the band’s raw energy. Oborn explains that they went into the rehearsal space to capture the essence of how they sounded at that time, having just returned from extensive tours across the U.S., Japan, and Australia. "We'd been on the road for two years, and by the end, we sounded pretty damn tight," he adds.
What’s delivered here is a vicious, uncompromising experience. Gone are any signs of digital touch-ups or overdubs. What you hear is pure, unadulterated Electric Wizard: heavy, unpolished, and drenched in doom. The album features some of their signature anthems like *Dopethrone*, *Witchcult Today*, and the epic, destructive *Funeralopolis*, but this time, the band strips everything down to its rawest form. No frills, just heavy riffs and searing vocals that demand your attention.
*Black Magic Rituals and Perversions Vol. 1* is a visceral experience that fans of Electric Wizard will undoubtedly appreciate for its gritty, unrelenting energy. It’s as if the band has unlocked a darker, more primal version of themselves – a version that truly channels the spirit of 1970s doom metal with all the fury and fuzz it was known for.
-Helge Neumann
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