CELESTIAL WIZARD hailing from Denver, Colorado were formed in 2018. They play a mixture of Heavy, Thrash, and Death Metal. “Regenesis” is their third full-length album, and it has a length of almost 47 minutes. The album was produced by CELESTIAL WIZARD and Nick Nodurft (CANTU IGNIS; IMMORTAL SYNN) at Rusty Sun Audio. Italian specialists for Death, Power, Heavy, and Gothic Metal Scarlet Records released the album. The album starts with the short acoustic instrumental “Muerte”, which delivers the main melody for “Pale Horse”. “Pale Horse” is a mid-tempo track with tight guitar riffing during the verse parts. The vocals are two-parted: growls varying between the deeper to medium end of the guttural range alternating with clean vocals that are around the medium end of the vocal range. The growls are leading the track during the verses, while the clean vocal have the lead during the choruses, but with growling support. “Pale Horse” is a bit of a mixture between traditional Heavy Metal, Thrash Metal guitar riffing, and Death Metal vibes. The track has been released as video, and the YouTube link is provided below.

“Fangbaerer” has a heavy start with powerful guitar riffs at mid-tempo, leading into a quieter verse part. During the verse part, the tempo and aggression level is raised with thunderous riffing and crunching basslines. The vocals are two-parted once again, with the clean vocals take over during the choruses. The break delivers two very contributing lead guitar solos, one at a measured tempo, and the other one at mid-tempo with a galloping rhythm and a few neo-classical vibes. “She Is The Blade” starts with a short lead guitar solo, introducing the main melody. A little bit of a lengthy instrumental part is to follow, before the verse part at a measured tempo starts with powerful guitar riffs and the growls. The melodies during verse and chorus parts are dark and have a few melancholic features, which are very prominent during the choruses and intensified by the clean vocals. The break includes another very contributing lead guitar solo. “Shores Of Eternity” starts with an acoustic introduction, supported by the violin, seamlessly transitioning into the verse part at mid-tempo. The verse part delivers heavy guitar riffing with the clean vocals leading the charge, while the growls lead the choruses. The verse parts with the clean vocals have a lot of traditional Heavy Metal vibes, while the growling parts with the riffing has many melodic Death Metal vibes. The break with the lead guitar solos has plenty of classical Heavy Metal and Hardrock inspiration. It is clearly the highlight of the track.

“Into The Abyss” offers a bit of a change in sound to begin with: plenty of pace, aggression, and Thrash Metal riffing. The verse part keeps up with the start as tight guitar riffs at fast pace alongside the growling vocals lead the Thrash Metal assault. The chorus parts offer a bit more darkness in the melodies at the expense of aggression. The break slows down the tempo and the lead guitar solo follow dark and melancholic melodies. “Into The Abyss” does not include clean vocals. “Ride With Fire” continues with heaviness at mid-tempo. The guitar riffing is tight and thunderous during the verse parts and the bridge, while at the bridge, the tempo is raised. The vocals are growls, but also two-parted where higher growls and deep-lying growls alternate. The verse/bridge/chorus parts have many Death/Thrash Metal vibes, however, the break with the lead guitar solo is Heavy Metal inspired. Once again, clean vocals are absent. “Wicked” slows down the tempo and increases darkness and melancholy in the melodies. The verse part is driven by powerful riffing and the growling vocals. It is a very melodic track and especially the chorus parts have even a few ballad-esque features. However, the track has plenty of heavy parts and it is a smart mixture of many style elements. The highlight is the lead guitar solo once again.

“Emerald Eyes” starts with the guitars and the violin. The tempo remains slow, and here we are, we have the album ballad. Driven by the guitars, strong basslines, and the clean vocals, the track is a delivery of grim and melancholic melodies and offers all ingredients of a classical power ballad. The album finishes with the title track, and we are back at mid-tempo tight and powerful guitar riffing. The verse part slows down to a measured tempo for the start, but switches towards a fast part supported by the double-bass drumming. “Regenesis” constantly switches tempo and rhythm, also the melodies and the vibes of the track have a lot of twists and turns ranging from modern Heavy Metal to a few blast-beat driven Death Metal parts. The vocals are only the growls. Highlight of the track is another cool lead guitar solo. CELESTIAL WIZARD deliver a mixed bag of everything. “Regenesis” is a smart blend of Heavy, Thrash, and melodic Death Metal with some tracks feature all genre elements at once. The guitar riffing is versatile and offers the broad range of riffing in Metal. The clean and growling vocals guarantee the multidimensional album sound. The album highlight are the lead guitar solos. The album is well produced. “Regenesis” has a very general Metal sound but is also unique in combining all the different styles. Metal fans who are not afraid to cross genres will love the album of CELESTIAL WIZARD.