01. Dopethrone
02. Incense For The Damned
03. Black Mass
04. Witchcult Today
05. Satanic Rites Of Drugula
06. Scorpio Curse
07. The Chosen Few
08. Funeralopolis

Wizard’s Black Magic Ritual.

Electric Wizard is the cornerstone band in the new wave of doom, blending savage stoner-sludge with lyrics steeped in the occult, witchcraft, and horror. Their latest release, Black Magic Rituals And Perversions Vol. 1, recorded live in a single take, marks a new chapter in their great career.

This live album strips away any notion of studio refinement. Recorded during the isolation of 2020 on a 16-track tape machine with the same equipment that they used on the recording of Wizard Bloody Wizard in 2017 - a Tascam 16-track tape machine, Mackie desk, Neve preamp, Watkins Copicat delay, Roland Space Echo, and a couple of other reverbs and compressors - helps the band capture that 70s rough sound. The result is an unfiltered and abrasive deliberate choice that suits the band’s core sound. The analog recording imbues the music with authenticity and a ferocity harder than ever performed before in their discography. You can feel and imagine the atmosphere of an underground venue, charged heavily with the smell of beer cigarettes and weed.

From the opening riff of “Dopethrone” to the ritualistic chaos of “Black Mass”, the sound is oppressive and hypnotic, drawing the listener deep into Electric Wizard’s world. The setlist leans heavily on their strengths, delivering crushing renditions of songs like “Incense For The Damned” and “Satanic Rites Of Drugula.” The groove of the long, trance-like jams on tracks such as “Funeralopolis” brings the performance to an apocalyptic finish. Oborn’s strained, unpolished vocals, combined with the sheer weight of the riffs, amplify the live tension, making each track feel unpredictable.

This is a butt-naked live album. The delivery intentionally leaves imperfections, guitar feedback, slight timing variations, showing that the record does not aim to dazzle with technical precision. At times, it sounds more like a raw rehearsal in an old garage than a polished live album. Yet, this rawness and sense of delivered amateurism draw you into the band’s darkened sound. It’s not that I don’t like the band sounding like this; I love it. I think it gives the album merit and originality. When a band dares to do something like this, publishes it, and manages to capture attention, they’re on the right track.

Electric Wizard has created a live album and it feels like a confident experience with the band. Black Magic Rituals And Perversions Vol. 1 is a great recording of what a band like Electric Wizard sounds live and raw, unmasked, just one take. This is an intense initiation into the primal chaos of one of today’s best doom metal acts.

Performance:	9
Songwriting:	9
Originality:	7
Production:	7