Rock and roll was the devil's music in the 1950s. Hell, it is to some scant few today. If it has to be considered the devil's music (even though such genres as Christian rock exist *shudders*) then it was only a paltry footstep into hell. It would be metal that is the true sound of the devil's music. And while some bands tend to stray from the stereotypical themes/elements that encompass pure, concentrated evil, badasses like Electric Wizard embrace it. Wake up fuckers, it's time to die.
Electric Wizard are the face of doom and stoner metal. Though they're not without competition as this particular writer still fucking rips to Bongzilla. Though the surge of the doom/stoner scene as of late has been astronomical. Wanna blame it on someone? Electric Wizard have been the reason for the season since the stoner classic Dopethrone in 2000 and though they're slow to release albums, they're one of those bands that's managed to stick. Time to Die is here to remind you as of why.
Maybe it's the killer Black Sabbath influence and the Liz Buckingham riffs that sound like could have been written by Tony Iommi, or the droning haze that the band so masterfully thrusts through the speakers but Electric Wizard have been one of those bands that stick in your system. There's a hypnotic, pulsing effect to their tunes that's more than just the bong rips and harsh melodies. Time to Die is like a ghostly threat. A vicious, evil whisper that hovers and floats above you all the time, never leaving you alone, stalking your footsteps.
Time to Die is a different album than others that Electric Wizard have put forth. More in the vein of their Legalise Drugs and Murder EP, it's a downtrodden burner that has darker intentions. Electric Wizard have never been ones to stray from the stereotype that metal is nothing but evil music. The band brings the evil and fully embraces the evil predicates. Death runs rampant throughout. The less-than-subtle “Time to Die” declares: “Wake up, baby. It's time to die.” While “I Am Nothing” pushes similar intentions: “I feel nothing as I kill you…”
Other pieces like the instrumental “Destroy Those that Love God” keep the evil flow with reports of evil and Satanic activities including murder and devil/devil music worship. It adds to the flavor of the album and brings it more into the shadows, trudging along slowly. It's something that breeds rather than full-out attacks. Though the band isn't against showing a heavier energy now and then. “We Love the Dead” slowly stomps forward but rips into a wailing lead a little over half way through the album that howls like a Banshie in the night. Whilst “SadioWitch” sounds like something that could be played in a haunted mansion.
Drugs, murder, Satan, funerals, and even some Lovecraftian flavor, Electric Wizard's Time to Die is a helluva good record and one of their best. The utter depravity and misanthropic atmosphere is what makes this album feel like a real accomplishment. It's the kind of thing most bands can pull off, not necessarily for lack of effort but because they're simply not this twisted. Time to Die is a gloriously hateful record. Seldom boring, always seething and hateful.
“Die, DIE, Fuck YOU!” – “Lucifer's Slave” (parting words of Justin Oborn and crew)
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