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I've most-often seen Rebel Wizard summed up as "NWOBHM meets black metal," and although that's a little reductive, it's also a pretty good summing up. Whether switching back and forth between those two broad styles or mixing them in more subtle ways, there's no denying that dual influence, and it's still in force on the new album, Voluptuous Worship of Rapture and Response.
That's not to say that sole member NKSV (a.k.a., Bob Nekrasov) is in any way musically lazy. The second track, "The Prophecy Came and It Was Soaked With the Common Fools Forboding" starts out with some seriously riff-tastic NWOBHM before gradually escalating into black metal territory with the addition of tremolos, black metal screeches, and blast beats. Once the two elements have been successfully mixed, the song charges onward to the end with the throttle wide open. "Healing the Chakras With Heavy Negative Wizard Metal" takes a slightly different path, starting off with a more "traditional" black metal intro before moving into trash territory. No matter how NKSV proceeds, though, it's impossible to deny how ripping these songs are.
Is this all a bit tongue and cheek? Most likely. The cover art shows a hooded figure triumphantly holding aloft two Gibson Explorer-style guitars, which young me remembers being a signature move from bands in the NWOBHM heyday. Song titles like "Drunk on the Wizdom of Unicorn Semen" mix the profane and the goofy into word salads. But is the music itself a joke? Not at all. Unlike Steel Panther, for example, who tries (and fails) to entertain by parodying a musical style that was already a parody of itself, Rebel Wizard cranks out damn good tunes without making you feel the need to qualify it by saying, "It's good...but it's kinda dumb."
Sure, I could pick a few nits. Two different songs go with the somewhat-tired "rain/nature sound" effects. The album's closing track, "Exhaustive Glory," is unfortunately named because pushing 10 minutes and lacking the dynamicism of most of the other tracks does, in fact, make it a bit exhausting. But credit where credit's due: NKSV samples a fairly moving speech from philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti for the album closer, when he could have gone the easy path and put in some overcooked Satanism or dialog from a Mad Max movie.
But when all is said and done, this is an album that will rip right through you. Triumph of Gloom is the last Rebel Wizard album I've spent significant time with, and NKSV has upped his songwriting game as well as his level of shred, but technicality never overwhelms the musicality. So by all means, put the extra-kvlt doom and gloom aside for a little while and rock out. Maybe even smile a little?
