THE WIZARDS picked a great name for their band because their second release, "Full Moon In Scorpio" is metal magic.  This band plays ripping, old school metal with a clear love for the genre evident from the very first note to the last.  They definitely have a SABBATH/doom feel to them. I also noticed DEEP PURPLE, BLUE OYSTER CULT, PENTAGRAM influences as well but I hear some modern touches too; they have groove like THE SWORD and a touch of Nordic metal feel like GRAND MAGUS. However, even though they wear their sound and influences on their sleeves, I never once said, "Eh, I've heard it all before."  Despite their well-known style, they still retain a sound all their own and found myself saying instead, "Why didn't I hear this band years ago?"

Ian's vocals are the exact way a band of this style and caliber should sound: expressive, soulful, and genuine.  Ironically, he definitely has an Ian Gillian feel but I can also hear some Glenn Danzig too but without as much of the Elvis impersonating.  I swear this man could had been singing for DEEP PURPLE or any Prog/HardRock band from the 70's; Ian was definitely born in the wrong era because this guy should be famous. The instrumental part of this band is, as you would expect, the perfect sonic assault of hard rock, metal, groove, and doom.  Listen to "Halftones to Eternity" or "When We Were Gods" and tell me that doesn't sound like old school doom, what with the riffs mixing darkness with a bit of blues and the guitar solos that evoke images instead of just being there to show off.  Fel and Jorge definitely have reason to be showboats as the dynamic duo melted my ears with their razor sharp riffs.

Eneko and Dave make up a rhythm section that would make even Butler and Ward stand up and take notice. The very density of THE WIZARDS come from these guys as they hammer in the riffs further or make the weighty atmosphere flow as easy as it is heavy. The opening track, "Avidya," doesn't pull any punches, firing right out of the gate with riffs, solos, and just everything that makes a song great. If that doesn't impress you then the furious drumming and solos in the song's mid-section surely will.  "Who are you, Mr. Gurdjieff?" is the finest track on the album.  The opening riffs are almost hypnotic and the bass guitar adds to that while locking down the heavy metal of it all.  When Ian's vocals attack, the riffs get denser as the drums attempt to break down the walls of your ear drums.  The entire five minutes of this track is an epic ode to a time when the bells and whistles didn't matter but instead the focus was on a tight force of perpetual rhythm.

The same could be said for the final track, "When We Were Gods."  Not that it is a bad thing but bands these days often need multiple singers, layered riffs, and epic keys to pull off the swirl of emotions this song emits.  THE WIZARDS just use good old fashioned dynamics.  The last minute of the song is a hurricane mixture of soaring vocals and instruments that end the album on the highest of high notes. THE WIZARDS have crafted one hell of an album here, one that pays homage to the sounds of old while keeping an eye on the future.  Fans of traditional metal, classic hard rock, blues, and old school doom need to buy this yesterday.