EP Review – The Warning of One by Rebel Wizard (Prosthetic Records)

The Warning of One has 4 tracks on it, all linked to the word One. There is One I Seek, One I Know, One I See and One I Call. That is pretty cool. Musically, Heavy Negative Wizard Metal may not be the most instantly recognisable genre but it probably sits comfortably in between black metal and NWOBHM (New Wave of British Heavy Metal). It isn’t exclusively black metal and NWOBHM though, with other genres worming there way in here and there. You get a bit of thrash and a little melodeath in here too. I’m sure the listener will pick up on other little cross overs too.

EP opener, One I Seek, is a good example of the blackened traditional metal mix. A brief riff starts us off before the back metal explodes in. Harsh, dark vocals over blistering drums are the order of the day here with a focus on speed of delivery. All 4 tracks on The Warning of One are delivered at a very fast, very thrash pace. That isn’t to say that they all sound the same though. They don’t and they aren’t just fast blasts of metal either. There is a ton of variety on here and a lot of that comes in the form of intricate, melodic guitar solos and thrash riffing.

We have a heavily distorted intro on One I Know before a brilliant riff jumps in. Black metal vocals jump in but the guitars are still the driving force just in the background. The ending is a fast paced, instrumental with a tight bass, loose thrashy drums and fast riffing. One I See has a soulful, echoing intro lead guitar. It has a nice eerie feel to it before the drums start banging out a rhythm to move the song on. Fast and vicious vocals come back in and the guitars move from melodic to speed riffing. The track ends with over 2 minutes of instrumental wizardry with a whole host of different riffs, leads, solos and rhythms. The drums are fast and lush and the guitars move from groove laden riffs to intricate melody to powerful solos. Excellent stuff.

The Warning of One ends on One I Call which is a fast and ferocious track from the first second. The drums are sparking and the guitars are blazing out a cool ascending line. The vocals are fast and harsh with the only real slowdown coming between verses for a not quite as quick infectious riff. It is a real blast of almost death/black metal and a nice way to close.

If this is Heavy Negative Wizard Metal, I want more. It is a great little EP with 4 enjoyable tracks packed with great drumming, strong vocals and wonderful guitar skills. It is short but will leave you wanting to hear more. Very impressive stuff here – I’m off to look up the back catalogue.