Search - Electric Wizard :: Let Us Prey (Reis)

Last gasp of the original Wizard - fraught, bite-sized doom

D. Hamilton-Smith | Merrye Olde Engelond | 01/31/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This one's a bit debated amongst fans (following `Dopethrone' was never going to be easy), and for what it's worth here's my contribution: `Let Us Prey' is brilliant.



Terrorizer magazine gave it a rare 10/10 upon release, and while I wouldn't go that far I know what they heard that many others didn't. This is a kind of bite-size Wizard, with an album structure that makes the digestion of the tracks easier. It's possible to listen to this in one brief, exhilarating session without suffering the feedback-induced exhaustion of `Dopethrone'. Most fans would say that's the whole point of listening to the Wizard in the first place, but it doesn't have to be, even though aural abuse is certainly fun. The fact is, `Let Us Prey' is every bit as heavy and savage as the rest of their catalogue. The production work is especially notable, as Jus' guitar and Tim's bass lock in together to devastating effect - check out the monstrous first riff of `Master Of Alchemy' for ample proof. In fact, almost all of these riffs are monstrous. Jus does his usual ultra-distorted stoner drawl over these pounding repetitions, augmented with gutter-level psychedelic phase and flange sweeps in the background. The album in general sounds more like a jamming Wizard, although the songs are framed within the ten-minute mark to ensure the riffs don't stew themselves and become ponderous. The surprises come in the form of the shorter tracks - `We The Undead' has a punky edge that makes the band sound like it's frantically sweating along to catch up with their own tempo.



After the benchmark `Come My Fanatics...', `Let Us Prey' is their most atmospheric work, and is obviously the product of an excitingly unstable vibe. The band had just returned from a US tour that left them broke and unemployed, and they quickly recorded again, leaving us this weird, fraught album that nonetheless hits all the bases and provides us with a snapshot of the band blindly trying to re-establish their mission statement. And succeeding, naturally.



This is still essential Wizard, even by the standards of those who write this off as a `Dopethrone' addendum. It's not - it's the unnerving last gasp of the classic line-up shortly before its implosion. And then came Mark II, a very different animal that leads me to another review entirely..."

3.5 - Eclectic Wizard

Tom Chase | London | 04/11/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"How to follow "Dopethrone"? An album widely regarded as a modern day classic in the stoner/doom genre. Electric Wizard's response, "Let Us Prey", proved to a bit of a damp squid.



It was the last release from the seminal line-up of Jus Oborn, Mark Greening and Tim Bagshaw, the trio that created the bands best albums, "Come My Fanatics" and "Dopethrone". Divisions were reported during the making of this album, and unfortunately this came through on record. "Let Us Prey" is extremely hit and miss throughout, mostly due to some unexpected and out of place experimentation. "We, The Undead" sees the band surging into relatively lightning paced punk rock, and "Night of the Shape" surprises with some moody trip-hop dirge. I appreciate some artists need to re-invent their sound from time to time, but only if that sound is tired. Electric Wizard had just perfected their super-heavy, abrasive brand of 70s doom, and these experiments were not only unnecessary, but quite out of their field. The band sounds messy and confused playing punk, and as for trip-hop...well...just a weird choice.



Frustratingly, amidst the unsuccessful experimentation is some bludgeoning classic EW. Opener "A Chosen Few" blasts in with a typically brutal lead riff, and you wouldn't be stupid to think another "Dopethrone" is on the way. One of my all-time favourite EW tracks comes after the muddled punk, the monumental "Master of Alchemy" piece. Purely instrumental, the song swaggers through two of Oborn's best ever riffs, psychedelic atmospherics and wailing solos. There's a sublime doom groove throughout both sections, making the clutter before it become even more frustrating. "The Outsider" and "Priestess of Mars" are both decent tracks, not brilliant but staple EW and enjoyable, and they keep a small level of consistency going.



So with "Let Us Prey" you get two outstanding, classic Wizard tracks - two staple, slightly stock tracks and two dreadful, out of place experiments. A true mixed bag, and a frustrating release when compared to the mighty albums that preceded it. Those new to the band are best advised with "Come My Fanatics" or "Dopethrone".

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