Wizard Tattoo is an Indianapolis-based progressive metal project from multi-instrumentalist Bram the Bard. The project blends in a ton of different styles....doom, progressive, black metal, jazz, and even grunge all find a place in this project's highly unique approach.
Their latest release is their EP “Living Just For Dying,” a follow up to their debut full-length “Fables of the Damned.” With four tracks across a runtime of 20 minutes, this short but sweet mini-adventure packs a lot of interesting and highly engaging material.
I’m a firm believer that unique music needs to be promoted. Is this outside my wheelhouse? Definitely. Hell, it’s probably outside most people’s wheelhouse. But even if I didn’t like it (which I do!), I’d still be writing this because something this different needs to be exposed. I’ve always heard (and said it myself quite a few times) there is nothing new under the sun. For the most part, that still holds true, for better or for worse.
But every now and then…an exception rears its multifaceted head to prove me wrong. What I find most impressive about “Living Just For Dying,” is how cohesive it sounds! Each of the four songs sound different from each other but all fit into the overall atmosphere together.
The album opens with the title track and its acoustic leanings. The tones are deep and dense, providing a heavy factor in a stripped down way. The vocals are amazing–deep, Gothic overtones with a folky feel to them. The entire song has a singer-songwriter vibe to it but it works so well. A cello or violin (its hard for me to tell, sorry) is thrown in the mix too because, fuck it, why not at this point? But, again, it works. Bram’s songwriting and composition skills are obviously too on point to allow any one element to NOT work.
“The Wizard Who Loved Me,” is up next and brings more acoustic elements with it but in a much different approach. This is more of a prog-rock approach, featuring the vocals of Djinnifer. Her vocals are unique as well—lithe and ethereal but with a rock vibe to them as well. This is a moody song, having the atmosphere of a doom song even if, musically, it isn’t. The guitars are intricate during the middle half and lead into an emotive guitar solo. The ending is surprisingly foreboding, what with the low tones and flavorful drums.
The album does a 360 and offers a blackened song for “Tomorrow Dies,” featuring the vocals of Fausto Aurelias. If I played this for someone, they would have no idea it was the same band who offered the previous two songs. With that being said, and as I previously mentioned, the tone and atmosphere remains the same so even though it walks a completely different path, it comes from the same inspiration and moves towards the same destination.
The vocals are raw and powerful, pairing well with the groovy black metal riffs. The song has moments of pure speed and aggression, offering as much searing guile as any actually black metal album.
The final song, “Sanity’s Eclipse,” is a fantastic opener because it brings the album full circle, offering many of the same elements the first song offered. This one has a higher sense of urgency, a certain trepidation I can’t quite put my finger on but can definitely feel it. The middle part is a heavy acoustic passage that has a sort of shamanistic feel to it.
Wizard Tattoo’s “Living Just For Dying” EP is a wonderful little piece of music that fits more ideas and dynamic textures into it than a lot of full-length albums can offer. This is such an different type of music that it deserves praise and fans of music, in general, will no doubt find a something to like here.
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