Electric Wizard

Electric Wizard is a UK doom metal band from Dorset, England, formed in 1993 and active since then. Their music sits within doom metal, stoner metal, sludge, drone, heavy psych and stoner rock, and is closely associated with slow, heavily distorted riffs and an occult-themed image.

Style and themes

The band’s sound combines traditional doom metal with stoner and sludge elements. Their lyrics often draw on occultism, witchcraft, H.P. Lovecraft, horror films and marijuana. Their music is also described through imagery of bleak, ritualistic heaviness and psychedelic doom.

History

Justin Oborn is the central founding figure and guitarist-vocalist of the group. Electric Wizard develops out of his earlier projects: Lord of Putrefaction, a doom-influenced death metal band formed in 1988, followed by Thy Grief Eternal in 1992 and then Eternal in 1993, which moves further into stoner doom. In 2003, founding members Tim Bagshaw and Mark Greening leave to form Ramesses, leaving Oborn as the only remaining founding member. Greening later returns to the band in late 2012.

Members

Members associated with Electric Wizard include Mark Greening, Tim Bagshaw, Justin Oborn, Justin Greaves, Elizabeth Buckingham, Shaun Rutter and Tasos Danazoglou. The listed line-up includes Justin Oborn on vocals and guitar, Haz Wheaton on bass, Liz Buckingham on guitar and Simon Poole on drums. Former members include Rob Al-Issa, Justin Greaves, Tim Bagshaw, Tas Danazoglou, Glenn Charman, Clayton Burgess, Shaun Rutter and Mark Greening.

Recordings

The band’s releases include the self-titled Electric Wizard, Come My Fanatics..., Supercoven, Dopethrone, Let Us Prey, We Live, Witchcult Today, The Processean, Black Masses, Legalise Drugs & Murder, Time to Die and Wizard Bloody Wizard. They also release split records with Our Haunted Kingdom, Orange Goblin and Reverend Bizarre, and a single titled L.S.D.

Label and classification

Electric Wizard is associated with Spinefarm Records. Their categorisation includes doom metal, drone, heavy psych, metal, stoner metal and stoner rock, and they are identified as a UK doom metal band from Dorset, United Kingdom.