THE PICK-UP
My
first taste of Wizz Wizzard and its band’s charismatic frontman
Wizz Beauprez was during Summerrock 2015. I saw the band perform and
immediately decided to buy their 2013 full-length release Tears from
the Moon and had it autographed (as always, of course). Tears was a
fun album, and I was eagerly waiting for more.
And
more came this month when the band released Where the River runs
cold. However, the highly anticipated release of this album was
overshadowed by the news that Wizz was diagnosed with cancer. But
while we’re waiting for him to get back on stage, let’s dive into
this river, right at the spot where it runs cold!
THE SHREDDING BASICS
If
I’ve got to use a single term to describe Wizz Wizzard’s sound,
it’s old-school. Take any random song from any random classic 70s
or 80s metal band and you know what to expect. Sharp riffs that
dominate the tracks, with each song telling its story through three
verses and a chorus and with a technical guitar solo to put the icing
on the cake!
Ok,
that sounds repetitive on paper, but every song does feel unique. The
opening track, Crucified, has a Motörhead speed metal vide to it.
Road to Walhalla sounds similar to something that Hammerfall would
write and Wonders of the World reminds me of the legendary Led
Zeppelin song Kashmir (that guitar riff feels so majestic and
familiar).
Overall,
the songs remain consistent in quality. I’m sure you’ll be
banging your head with ease by the rhythm on the drums or singing
along with Wizz’s wolf-howling vocals.
THE PARK OF THEMES
Many
songs on the album are dark fantasy themed with vampires, werewolves
and other creatures of the night put into the mix.
Other
songs like Road to Walhalla and Live or Die, give a more combative
and positive message to the listener. And finally there’s the track
Rock Lives On, a genuine celebration of the rock n’ roll genre. And
sung by a man who was born in 1905 (at least according to his
Facebook profile), it proves once and for all that you’re never too
old to rock!
THE VISION OF DEVASTATION
Similarly
to its predecessor, Where the River runs cold once again features an
arctic landscape with a giant bat flying towards the camera! In the
background we can see a silver colored wolf howling towards the blood
red moon and the mountains on the left even have a skull engraved
into them. Oh yes, my childhood memories of playing Castlevania on
the Game Boy kick in!
Overall,
it’s a really artistic cover, more colorful and detailed than the
one from the Tears album. A good visual representation of how the
band has evolved over the past three years both visually and
musically.
THE SHARPEST SHREDS
River’s
fourth track, The Wolf, comes out on top. I love the contrast between
the joyful guitar riff (which sounds similar to the Ozzy Osbourne’s
classic Crazy Train) and the dark story this song tells (which is
about a werewolf slaughtering everything he comes across).
Live
or Die is another favorite of mine. The song has motivating lyrics
and the heart pumping guitars and drums add to the song’s
get-up-and-fight atmosphere. In fact, the track could easily be used
for a Rocky-style training montage! Eye
of the Tiger!
THE SHREDDER'S SCORECARD
8,5
bloodmoons out of 10! Wizz Wizzard’s Where the River runs cold
isn’t the most original album you’re going to find, but that
doesn’t matter. If you’re looking for eleven tracks of excellent
heavy metal music that could’ve come straight from the 70s or 80s,
than this album is an obligatory one to listen to!
And
Wizz, I hope you’ll be getting well sooner rather than later, we
still need to have a chat with each other. You know, Shredder to
Wizzard!
NOW BANG ALONG
Enjoy
the music video for Crucified, the opening track of Where the River
runs cold.
