Electric Wizard – Dopethrone (2000)

September 20, 2020

Dec 2017: To somewhat paraphrase the legendary Devin Townsend, the sound on this album is as heavy as a really heavy thing. Like, really really heavy; a collapsing neutron star, or some such. Dopethrone is a monument in modern day doom metal; easily one of the albums that re-invigorated the scene and brought new life to the (at the time) fairly stagnant genre, all the while re-setting the benchmark for what heavy music can be. It is fascinating how something so muddy and lo-fi (for lack of a better term) can be so gargantuan.

It is hard to do listening to this album any justice. I suggest the vinyl copy, played on the most expensive sound system you can get access to, to guarantee the best experience. “Funeralopolis”, “I Hate You” and the title track are absolutely fucking huge doses of crushing doom magic, and I struggle to think of better ways to experience an hour or so of complete sonic annihilation. If you’ve somehow never heard Electric Wizard before this is without a doubt the best place to start. A stone cold classic and benchmark of the doom genre.

June 2020: Where does one start with a record as heavy and as ugly and as gargantuan as Electric Wizard’s Dopethrone? For all the heaviness in the doom genre, Dopethrone is effortlessly one of the nastiest sounding albums ever recorded in any style of rock or metal; the drums are often rendered paper thin by colossal walls of distorted guitars, which really have to be heard to be believed. I cannot do them justice with words. Easily one of the heaviest albums of all time.