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| Black Masses | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1 November 2010 | |||
| Recorded | May–August 2010 | |||
| Studio | Toe Rag Studios, London, England | |||
| Genre | Doom metal, stoner metal | |||
| Length | 59:09 | |||
| Label | Rise Above | |||
| Producer | Jus Oborn, Liam Watson | |||
| Electric Wizard chronology | ||||
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| Limited Edition cover | ||||
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Black Masses is the seventh studio album by English stoner/doom metal band Electric Wizard, released 1 November 2010. It is the band's only album to feature bassist Tas Danazoglou.
Guitarist-vocalist Jus Oborn described the album as a "continuation of Witchcult Today in many respects," although he also sees it as part of a lineage composed of Come My Fanatics... , Supercoven , Dopethrone , and Witchcult Today . [2] However, he does draw a contrast between Black Masses and Witchcult Today in that he views the former as "violent, aggressive" and the latter as "mellow and alluring". [2]
"Venus in Furs" is based on the book of the same name by Leopold von Sacher-Masoch; however, the song made references to the film of the same name by Jesús Franco. As Oborn notes, "Venus in Furs" is "about evil women. Every song on the album is a meditation on a different type of evil. When you say the term 'Venus in furs,' people get the image in their mind of a dominant female. So that's our 'evil woman' song. It's a classic doom theme." [3]
When asked about the influence of drugs upon the album, Oborn concedes
"It's a good part of my life to a certain degree, so it's hard to separate them. I think our sound is steeped in it to a certain degree, and improvisation is quite a lot based on drugs....You gotta be slightly telepathic and drugs can help that definitely. You can write brilliant music when you're not on drugs, but you don’t have that connection with other musicians, that telepathy. I think that's the important thing for a band, for the musicians." [2]
This is their first album since Electric Wizard to not feature a song longer than 10 minutes in length, although the fifth track, "Satyr IX", is close to the mark, clocking in at 9:58.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| About.com |   [4] |
| AllMusic |  [5] |
| Beatsperminute.com | 54% [6] |
| Metal Forces | 8/10 [7] |
| Onemetal.com | [8] |
| Stereokiller.com | [9] |
David Schalek with About.com wrote that "Black Masses has the right amount of accessible, catchy stoner laden riffs to go along with the generally heavy assault of Electric Wizard's form of Black Sabbath-descended doom metal." [4]
Doomantia largely celebrated the album, proclaiming "if you thought Witchcult Today was too polished, then you will love Black Masses. It's an more ugly, sleazy and dirty album than Witchcult Today but it hasn't got the sickness that gets spewed at you during Dopethrone. In a way it takes all the elements from all their albums, melts them down and turns them into something different again. It's a nasty, angry beast of a recording that oozes sleaze and reeks of satanic nightmares and drug induced apocalyptic visions." [10]
The album received some criticism, with Onemetal.com describing the album as "scattered and unfocused," with performances that are "loose to the point of bordering on sloppy," and a murky production. However, the author did concede that the album was a "grower" that improved with subsequent exposure. [8]
All music by Oborn, except where noted. All lyrics by Jus Oborn
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Black Mass" | Jus Oborn, Liz Buckingham | 6:06 |
| 2. | "Venus in Furs" | 6:22 | |
| 3. | "The Nightchild" | Oborn, Buckingham | 8:02 |
| 4. | "Patterns of Evil" | 6:30 | |
| 5. | "Satyr IX" | 9:58 | |
| 6. | "Turn Off Your Mind" | Oborn, Buckingham | 5:51 |
| 7. | "Scorpio Curse" | 7:31 | |
| 8. | "Crypt of Drugula" | 8:49 | |
| Total length: | 59:09 | ||
| Year | Label | Format | Country | Out of Print? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Rise Above | CD | UK | No | limited edition with sleeve and alt artwork version [11] |
| 2010 | Rise Above | CD | UK | No | Standard jewel case edition [12] |
| 2010 | Rise Above | LP | UK | Yes | Die Hard Edition – Deluxe boxed edition x 400 copies. Contains; Spot gloss box, Crypt of Drugula 16-page comic, embroidered patch, A1 Poster and double gatefold album on 180 gm black vinyl with full colour printed inners. |
| 2010 | Rise Above | LP | UK | Yes | X 400 Solid white, X 400 Transparent Green, |
| 2010 | Rise Above | LP | UK | No | X 400 Solid Grey, X 500 White/Black two colour split. |
Electric Wizard are an English stoner/doom metal band from Dorset. The band formed in 1993 and have recorded nine studio albums, two of which have been considered genre landmarks: Come My Fanatics… (1997) and Dopethrone (2000). Electric Wizard's brand of doom metal incorporates stoner and sludge traits, with lyrics focusing on the occult, witchcraft, H. P. Lovecraft, horror films and cannabis.
Rise Above Records is a London-based independent record label owned by Lee Dorrian, former member of Cathedral and Napalm Death.
Dopethrone is the third studio album by British metal band Electric Wizard, released on 25 September 2000 by Rise Above Records. Following the release and tour of their previous studio album Come My Fanatics... (1997), the group was asked by Rise Above owner Lee Dorrian to create a follow-up. Vocalist and guitarist Jus Oborn has stated that drug issues and other personal problems led to the production of Dopethrone being a "difficult process". The group entered Chuckalumba Studios in May 2000 with only three tracks written: "Dopethrone", "Funeralopolis", and "We Hate You". The album was recorded in three days. Oborn, who wrote all of the album's lyrics, spoke of H. P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard as influences in his own writing while the group disagreed during the mixing sessions about how the overall record should sound. The music on the album has been described as both doom metal and stoner rock, with influences of British groups like Black Sabbath and Motörhead.
Supercoven is a two song EP by the stoner/doom metal band Electric Wizard. It was originally released on CD and 12" vinyl in 1998 through Bad Acid Records. In 2000 it was re-released on CD through Southern Lord Records with two extra songs.
Come My Fanatics… is the second studio album by English heavy metal band Electric Wizard. The album was released in January 1997 on Rise Above Records and was produced by Rolf Startin, Mike Hurst and band member Jus Oborn. It was the group's follow-up to their eponymous album Electric Wizard. Oborn described the release as a reaction to the music on the earlier album, which he had felt was not as heavy as he wanted the group to sound. The songs on Come My Fanatics… were described by Lee Dorrian, Rise Above Records owner, as breaking from the traditional doom metal style, with an unpolished and chaotic approach.
Let Us Prey is the fourth studio album by English stoner/doom metal band Electric Wizard. It was released through Rise Above Records in 2002 and was the last album to feature Electric Wizard's original line-up. After its release, Tim Bagshaw and Mark Greening went on to form Ramesses.
We Live is the fifth studio album by English stoner/doom metal band Electric Wizard, released in 2004. It is the first recorded material with the band's second line-up. Due to the addition of second guitarist Liz Buckingham, the songs are more complex than their previous work.
Electric Wizard is the debut studio album by English stoner/doom metal band Electric Wizard released in 1994 through Rise Above Records and re-released bundled with their second album, Come My Fanatics... in 1999. A remastered version was then released on CD and LP in 2006, with two bonus tracks, taken from a demo entitled Doom Chapter.
Pre-Electric Wizard 1989–1994 is a compilation album featuring songs by Electric Wizard frontman Jus Oborn's previous band Eternal, formerly known as Lord of Putrefaction and Thy Grief Eternal. The album was released in 2006 and includes material taken from Eternal's demo Lucifer's Children (1993), Thy Grief Eternal's demo On Blackened Wings (1992), and the Lord of Putrefaction / Mortal Remains split LP (1991).
Chrono.Naut is an EP by the stoner/doom metal band Electric Wizard. It was originally released on LP in 1997 through Man's Ruin Records. It was then re-released on CD later that year as a split with Orange Goblin. The re-release features different artwork and the two songs bridged together.
Moss was a three-piece English doom metal band that formed in 2001. Influenced by H. P. Lovecraft and the occult, songs usually average the 2.0 minute mark and incorporate dense and otherworldly atmospheres. Despite the use of extreme bass frequencies, Moss features no bass guitarist.
Leaf Hound Records is a Japanese record label specializing in 1960s and 1970s inspired stoner/doom metal. The label takes its name from the 1970s hard rock band Leaf Hound. Leaf Hound Records has released material from Japanese bands such as Church of Misery and Sonic Flower, US bands such as Blood Farmers and Acid King and European bands such as Orange Sunshine and Acrimony. They have re-released a number of albums that were originally released by Germany's Hellhound Records. These reissues include Revelation's Never Comes Silence, Iron Man's Black Night and The Passage, and the Blood Farmers self-titled album. They have also reissued two other Revelation albums, Salvation's Answer and an unreleased album, and have also announced plans to issue Revelation's fourth album, Release.
Witchcult Today is the sixth studio album by English stoner/doom metal band Electric Wizard, released on 20 November 2007.
Electric Wizard/Our Haunted Kingdom is a split-single released by the English stoner metal bands Electric Wizard and Our Haunted Kingdom, the latter of which changed their name to Orange Goblin after this release. It was released during 1996 on 7" vinyl through Rise Above Records.
Justin Oborn is a British musician, singer, and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist, guitarist and lyricist of Electric Wizard, an English doom metal band from Dorset, which Oborn co-founded in 1993. Prior to forming Electric Wizard, he was a member of doom metal band Lord of Putrefaction, which changed its name to Thy Grief Eternal and then to Eternal.
Sub Templum is an album by British doom metal band Moss. Released in 2008, it is their first for Rise Above Records and second overall. It was produced by Electric Wizard guitarist/vocalist Jus Oborn, and it features 4 songs, two of which are over 20 minutes in length.
Legalise Drugs & Murder is the fifth EP by English stoner/doom metal band Electric Wizard. It was released in March 2012.
Time to Die is the eighth studio album by English stoner/doom metal band Electric Wizard, released on 29 September 2014. It is their debut on Spinefarm, having left Rise Above. The album is the first since 2002's Let Us Prey to feature founding member Mark Greening on drums.
Wizard Bloody Wizard is the ninth studio album by English stoner/doom metal band Electric Wizard, released on 17 November 2017, three years after their previous album Time to Die. Recording took place from April 2016 to February 2017 at the Satyr IX Recording Studios with production duties on the album shared between lead singer Jus Oborn and guitarist Liz Buckingham. Though some music critics noted an overall change in the band's sound from their usual doom formula towards a slightly more hard rock approach, the album received generally favourable reviews. With a running time of 43 minutes and consisting of only six songs, Wizard Bloody Wizard is the band's shortest studio album to date.
Satan's Satyrs are an American band originally formed in 2009 in Virginia by lead vocalist and bassist Clayton Burgess. The band's lineup as of 2016 included Burgess, Jarrett Nettnin, Stephen Fairfield and Nate Towle. Originally influenced by groups such as Electric Wizard and Black Flag, Burgess mailed a demo tape to Electric Wizard and recorded their first album Wild Beyond Belief, which began with Burgess performing all the instruments while still being attending high school. The group began their follow-up album Die Screaming and were invited by Jus Oborn of Electric Wizard to perform at the Roadburn Festival in 2013. Burgess was then offered to join Electric Wizard in 2014 which he accepted. The group has recorded two follow-up albums since along with a split EP with Windhand which charted in Billboard's Top Heatseekers charts.
