Band:	Wizards Of Kaos
Album:	Wizards Of Kaos
Style:	Stoner metal
Release date:	May 2012

01. Zeros And Ones
02. Bombs And Gasoline
03. Coyote Eyes
04. Digging Up Our Dead
05. Down From The skies
06. Ear Hole
07. New World Mistress
08. Pain & Misery
09. Running Red
10. Sixteen
11. The Great Shadow
12. The River
13. White Face

Wizards Of Kaos? Psychedelic artwork? Yeah...this is undoubtedly a stoner metal release. Despite filling out all the staple sounds of stoner metal/rock and not much past that, this is still an incredibly cool release.

Carrying out the basics isn't always bad, especially if all the components are good. Take that sort of foreboding wailing a la 'Sabbath era Ozzy, maybe with a touch of Witchcraft's Magnus Pelander, take the thundering rock n' roll riffs from Orange Goblin, and play it with a stripped-down appeal along the lines of Barn Burner. Sure, Wizards Of Kaos are quite obviously worshipping a lot of predecessors in this genre (name every stoner group or album title containing the word "wizard" if you want a good idea), yet despite being pretty derivative, all these recycled aspects are carefully chosen and exhibited flawlessly. Let's just say this debut isn't boring; even though you've probably heard all the parts before, the whole beast has a distinctly fresh, youthful feel.

The up-tempo, high adrenaline songs are where the Wizards' are at their best. If it's not apparent whilst these songs are playing, it will be when things are cooled off in some of the doomier tracks. Not to say their low-tempo material is bad, but it just lacks the real groove-laden infectiousness that the rest of the album carries.

Wizards Of Kaos is likely not the most original album you'll hear this year, but quite possibly the grooviest. Anyone who enjoys that stoner metal with the classic rock appeal should give this a listen.