Red Sky Wizard

Red Sky Wizard EP

Written by: BV on 18/10/2013 21:25:50

Red Sky Wizard is a new addition to the recent blooming of somewhat retrospective, riff-oriented rock music a la Witchcraft, coupled with an apparent fondness for the tones of stoner-rock acts like Fu Manchu and Nebula. Stemming from the former outfit The Barlon Mandroes, Red Sky Wizard sees the members exploring a slightly different sonic territory than before, whilst they are still hell-bent on delivering what they aptly call ‘premium Scandinavian rock n’ roll’. Considering that this band is relatively new, it is all the more impressive that I have already found my interest piqued by an array of stickers at various locations throughout Copenhagen, portraying the logo of Red Sky Wizard. – So, let’s see if their debut EP lives up to the relative hype surrounding it.

As the EP opens with the first of four tracks, “15 Minutes”, the tempo is immediately kicked up to a fire-blazing onslaught of unadulterated, masculine riffing. The dual guitar figures of Rasmus Kurdahl and Mads Mandroe sound almost incendiary and as the subtly underlining, yet powerfully present rhythm section provided by Mads Stender and Rune Rask pummels its way through this vast portrayal of testosterone-fueled rock n’ roll, my mind instantly wanders towards two bands I have previously reviewed; Milestone and Dirty Thrills – both of which have a knack for energetic, and somewhat original rock n’ roll songwriting. This particular approach is one Red Sky Wizard seemingly shares with these two genre contemporaries who it is, by far, no shame at all to be compared to.

The somewhat stoner-rock orientated inspirations of Red Sky Wizard are, perhaps, at their most abundant during the EP’s closing track “Get Some” which, with its fuzzy bass and somewhat up-tempo riff, reminds me quite a bit of “To the Center”-era Nebula in the faster moments of that album – due in no small part to the delightfully crunchy sounds of the guitars that sound both crisp and a tiny bit fuzzy without depriving them of an absolutely pristine and razor-sharp tone.

Where this EP stands at the weakest, is perhaps during “Pretend” where the sheer runtime of the track works against it. Given a shorter runtime, the track could come off as far more focused – even though its semi-psychedelic edge might be crucially diminished by that very shortening. Still, the echoing vocals during the middle section should be quite enough psychedelia for an EP that, in essence, works at its best when it’s funneling riffs out at a pace faster than what I could possibly headbang to. I reckon I might need to catch this particular bunch of riff-makers live sometime soon.

Download: 15 Minutes, I’m Knocking, Get Some
For The Fans Of: Milestone, Nebula, Alabama Black Snakes
Listen: facebook.com

Release Date 12.10.2013
Self-released


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