After a messy split from Dubuque stoner-metal powerhouse Telekinetic Yeti, drummer Anthony Dreyer forged a trans-Mississippi partnership with axeman Brad Van, a member of Madison kindred spirits Droids Attack. The result is Twin Wizard, whose thundering debut Glacial Gods had the ill fortune to drop on Friday the 13th back in March.
Glacial Gods is a fully competent, well-recorded debut, sonically satisfying and loaded with the usual assortment of doom-rock riffs. It’s got all the right ingredients: crunchy yet clear Orange tones, all the right (tastefully applied) effects pedals and artwork that would look great on a black-light poster. The music avoids doom’s lethargic plod, instead falling in more of an upbeat stoner-rock vein, driven by stock high-energy riffs and propulsive drumming.
The vocals are nothing special but listenable, seemingly a high bar to reach for most of the current crop of fuzzed, tatted and bearded doom/rock bands. The lyrics are more of an afterthought, pulled from the book of stoner-rock Mad-Libs (see “Smoke Wizard”). That’s not a major stumbling point in the genre; Twin Wizard are definitely more of a party band, not something you’d put on to feel things or shift your perspective.
With that in mind, Twin Wizard are the quintessential local opener for a doom/stoner rock show. They’ve got plenty of energy, decent riffs, with no innovation but also nothing offensive. They’d make a fine opening band for any number of touring outfits under that umbrella. The obvious talent of the members suggests that they could probably make some solid music if they kept at it long enough. One major drawback to their sound is the lack of a bong-rattling bass; while the novelty of being a heavy rock/doom duo is undeniable (and a money-saver to boot), the band could benefit from some proper low-end rumble.
