Electric Wizard have been one of the biggest names in stoner doom for some time, having released genre-defining classics such as “Dopethrone” and the much sought-after “Supercoven” EP. The defining factors of their sound are fuzz-laden bass and hosts of whirring, psychedelic guitar riffs, as well as Jus Oborn’s ‘Sabbath-styled vocals, all of which were expertly demonstrated on their 2002 album “Let Us Prey”, which was also the final album featuring the original lineup of the band.
Thematically, the albums lyrics and song titles are a nod to the weird fiction of HP Lovecraft (as in “The Outsider”) and Edgar Rice Burroughs (“Priestess of Mars”), among others listed in the album’s liner notes.
I picked this CD up from a record store in Tampa on a whim sometime between 2010 and 2011, almost a decade after its release, but fell immediately in love with it. I listened to it incessantly, and had my first experience smoking pot while listening to “Priestess of Mars” which further fueled my love for the band. The song seemed to drone on into eternity, pulling at the fabric of my tiny human mind. I was like Randolph Carter entering the Dreamlands to seek the Old Gods atop unknown Kadath, searching endlessly in equal parts horror and awe for a cosmic fix I was unable (until recently) to achieve sober. This is my favorite Electric Wizard album to date, and I absolutely recommend it for any and all fans of the band or of stoner doom in general.
Listen to “Priestess of Mars” here:
Towers of Rust 