Wizards, Horses, And A Flagon Of Fun: THAUMBLAST Make Strong Debut With "Drunken Divinations"
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
I don't know if it's being in my own power metal band or sinking way too much time into Baldur's Gate 3 (Tiefling sorcerer, if you're wondering), but I've grown incredibly fond of the fantastical side of metal over the past year or so. It's hardly a surprise then that I found myself drawn to Leicestershire wizards THAUMBLAST. After all, who doesn't love a bit of "fucking wizard metal"? The band deliver exactly that with debut EP "Drunken Divinations".
Straight away, I can already tell I'm going to have a great time. The opening riff of "Get Drunk Or Die" oozes with contagious fun, hard to remain still with the upbeat, galloping rhythm. It takes what's great about the genre and runs with it with ease. It's a simple message - stumbling through various alcoholic beverages and celebrating whilst doing so, accompanied by a cheery jig and shouting crowd backing vocals.
"Necroprancer" goes for a slightly more straight rhythm, though none of the energy has been lost. There's a great display of lead guitar work, and the whole track feels very Alestorm in its delivery, heavy riffage and a combination of clean and growling vocals. Much like most of the pirate metallers' discography, a song about a demon horse shouldn't go as hard as this does, a credit to the musicianship within the band.
The EP closes with "Hungover Wizard". The electronic synth-y intro flexes a different side to the band, before switching back to a more traditional, melodic sound. The bardic storytelling approach to the band's songwriting flourishes here, the listener getting reeled in to hear this assumedly tragic tale of a wizard who's perhaps drunk too much (too many "flagons of ale"). A cliche key change at the end is the cherry on top.
One thing is for sure - this is indeed just pure fun fantasy metal (yes, it's a genre). I'm not here for mind-boggling rhythms or super poignant lyricism, I'm here to pretend to be a wizard in a candlelit tavern.
It's a shame really that this is only 15 minutes long. It's an even bigger shame that the 15 minutes went by ridiculously quickly.
"Drunken Divinations" is out NOW on Bandcamp and streaming
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