Pre-Electric Wizard 1989-1994 CD

Eternal, Thy Grief Eternal, and Lord of Putrefaction: D&D characters? Possibly. But they're better known as the bands that preceded and eventually morphed into Electric Wizard, the ensemble that dominated if not out-and-out created the "stoner metal" genre. This compilation gathers some of the best tracks from these two bands, and the extreme, bass-heavy sound; fuzzed-out guitars; and Alastair Crowley-cum-Led Zep lyrics provide apt foreshadowing for what was to come. The is music for Black Masses and dark maguses.

Eternal, Thy Grief Eternal, and Lord of Putrefaction: D&D characters? Possibly. But they're better known as the bands that preceded and eventually morphed into Electric Wizard, the ensemble that dominated if not out-and-out created the "stoner metal" genre. This compilation gathers some of the best tracks from these two bands, and the extreme, bass-heavy sound; fuzzed-out guitars; and Alastair Crowley-cum-Led Zep lyrics provide apt foreshadowing for what was to come. This is music for Black Masses and dark magi.

When Electric Wizard first emerged, seemingly fully formed from the hallowed wombs of the doom metal gods (well, from Dorset, England, anyway), all most listeners could do was stand in dumbfounded awe -- such was the power and magnitude with which the trio delivered its monolithic epics. Taking up the torch from doom pioneers like Saint Vitus, Sleep, and more recently Britain's own Cathedral, the eternally stoned-out trio went about setting a new standard for slothful, detuned heavy metal noisemaking; yet -- amazingly, compared to subsequent efforts -- their eponymous debut's crushing wall of sludge would soon seem almost lightweight. Most of the songs on Electric Wizard crawl along at a snail's pace, their mind-numbing riffs exploring the lowest imaginable sonic frequencies still within human range. Except for the trippy space rock guitar of "Mountains of Mars," the entire record revels in the purest, uncompromising post-Sabbath doom metal dirge, a great part of which may prove too sluggish and impenetrable for inexperienced listeners. But for knowledgeable consumers of the genre, weed-worshipping anthems like "Stone Magnet," "Devil's Bride," and the group's awesome namesake, "Electric Wizard" (which is introduced by a long, highly suspicious exhaled breath), amount to a mind-shattering experience. Prepare to be enlightened. [The 2006 edition features two previously unreleased demo tracks as a bonus.] ~ Eduardo Rivadavia

Recording information: Rhythm Studios.

Photographer: Bud Mayhem.

Personnel: Jus Oborn (vocals, guitar); Mark Greening (drums).

Audio Mixers: Paul Johnson; Jus Oborn.