Matt
Wizardry
There are times when MySpace seems to be a real music treasure and you fill like Jack Sparrow in the middle of nowhere looking for a secret key to unlock the chest. A time like that was when I discover WIZARDRY, a brand new band from Brooklyn, New York who gained me from the very first listening of its debut album and winked me at once; here are the answers in our questions of "what is the meaning of WIZARDRY". Bon Appetit!
By Maria Voutiriadou
•
February 23, 2010
Happy New Year Matt! May the new year bring you the success for your band?
Thanks so much. Happy New Year to you! We have a great feeling about 2010.
First of all please tell us a few words about WIZARDRY; how did you decide to create the band?
WIZARDRY is a Metal band steeped in NWOBHM, and heavily influenced by 80s thrash, black Metal, punk, and Doom. Lyrically and visually we focus on the fantastic. Rather than write about current events/politics, we'd rather take the listener/viewer to new places, and let them get outside their "normal" everyday lives. We decided to create the band after playing a bunch of covers (BLACK SABBATH, etc..) at a Halloween show. We had such a good time and response, that we decided to take it to the next level. We also wanted to bring back the escapism of classic Metal, both sonically, and visually through our stage show.
How would you describe WIZARDRY's sound to someone who hasn't listen a single song from you?
Catchy. Brutal. Galloping. Psychedelic.
Can you spot the band's major influences?
There's so many of them. BLACK SABBATH, CARCASS, W.A.S.P., BLACK FLAG, MOTORHEAD, RAINBOW, MEGADETH, LAMB OF GOD, Alice Cooper, VELTIC FROST, KISS, IRON MAIDEN, HELLOWEEN… Oh man, I could go forever.
While listening to your album I found that the guitars have a retro NWOBHM finishing touch; Am I right? Do you have any NWOBHM band in your influence list?
Oh yeah. hahaha! Lots. The beauty of NWOBHM is the driving force of relentless drums, galloping guitars, paired with excellent and catchy songwriting. And usually you can understand the singer and their lyrics.
Are there any similarities with bands like WITCHCRAFT from Sweden for example (if you know them)? Is WIZARDRY the US answer to this Swedish musical movement?
Sure. WITCHCRAFT definately goes for the 70s Doom Metal thing (PENTAGRAM) pretty religiously. Are we the US answer to the Swedish movement? Probably not. We tend to spread our influences much more liberally. I like to think our sound is more diverse than that, though we love us some Doom Metal. Mmm hmm.
Let's go to your album; How difficult was for you to create an album without the support of a record label?
Not difficult, but it certainly took longer than we had originally envisioned. Thankfully, we have so many extremely talented, and gracious friends, who helped us with everything from the production, engineering, artwork, video, photos, etc… The only downside is, when you're dealing with friends, rather than "hired professionals", you have to fit everything into their busy schedules. This drags the process out quite a bit.
Do you have any special requirements when it comes to ink a deal with a record label?
Lots of touring! We love the road! Our goal this year is to get to the West Coast, and we'd absolutely love to tour Europe.
So, how long did it take to write the music in "Wizardry"? Did you face any difficulties in the process?
It took a couple weeks to get the basic structures for the songs. We have a real easy time writing tunes. The songs take on a life of their own as you play them for a while. We're always fine tuning, extending, revising as we go along. Songs evolve.
You have also shot a video clip for "Under The Wizard's Sleeve"; what is the storyline? And how long did it take you to film it?
My interpretation of the story is that it's about one man's quest to find himself. Along the way, he is physically and mentally confronted many different facets of his own personality, human nature, and demons. A seriously bad trip. It took us two days to film in the frozen tundra of upstate NY, March 2009. We had a treacherously, freezing cold, amazingly drunken time shooting that one.
What about the album's artwork; has anything to do with the lyrics or the band's name?
The artwork was done by our friend Esao Andrews (www.esao.net). He's so amazingly talented. Originally, the album was to be titled "Drink From Thy Chalice". Thus, the wizard thrusting the chalice unto the viewer. We went with "Wizardry", instead. Check out the scary face inside the chalice. Nice!!!
The promo you sent us has no lyrics and thus I am unaware of the subjects you are dealing with. Can you give us some info on the lyrical content of the album?
Well, the lyrics pretty much reflect the story presented in the video. The album is thematic, and the song's do compliment each other. One man's quest to find himself and all the perils, trials and tribulations, he faces along his journey. That's my interpretation, at least hahaha!
What are the next plans for WIZARDRY? Do you have finding a record deal a top 1 priority for you?
We're gonna keep powering on! Writing songs. Hitting the road. We've gone through a lineup change, since the record was released. We're now a 3 piece. Justin, Frank, & I have taken on the vocals. We're now a lean, mean, thunder making machine. Response to our current lineup has been amazing! The vibes are so great now. It's just an absolute pleasure, and sonically crippling. Like I said, a record deal would be sweet. In a perfect world, all we'd have to do is write songs, and perform them to a killer crowd. Let the record company do the press, bookings, etc… Hopefully, they're paying attention.
As I said in the beginning you have a retro feeling in your music; how can a band with such a sound survive in the US where the Metalcore reigns?
It's funny. On tour, and locally, we play with all sorts of bands to all kinds of fans. They love it! I think we're refreshing. The beauty of Metal fans is no one's really into just one thing. The Metal community supports diversity. Pretty much every show we play, none of the bands sound alike. All appreciated for their crushing differences.
Expanding the previous question, what are the major differences between the US and the European fans?
Both are great. It's so cool playing these really small towns throughout the U.S. People really appreciate us coming to "their" town in the middle of nowhere. European fans take their Metal very seriously, and they seek out new bands and sounds ravenously. The majority of our CD mail orders come from all over Europe.
What are your touring plans; will you try to book a place in the upcoming European summer festivals?
We sure would love to tour Europe. The support from over there has already been so positive and exciting. For now, were gonna concentrate on finishing up the songs for our next album. We'll be touring the U.S. a bunch, hopefully getting out to the west coast. That said, if an opportunity to play the European summer festivals comes along, we'll be there in a hot second. Europe is so fortunate to have so many incredible Metal festivals to attend. We have nothing like that, here in the U.S.
If you were to choose two bands to tour with; who would they be?
IRON MAIDEN. And DIO, because we really wanna give that guy a great big hug.
Ok Matt those were my questions; feel free to add anything I forgot to ask.
Our CD is available on iTunes, CDbaby, and Paypal. Anyone can reach us on www.myspace.com/wizardrylives, wizardrylives[at]yahoo.com and Facebook. We'd love to hear from you!
Thanks for your time and hope to see you live sometime. I wish you the best for the future.
Thanks so much for your time and interest in WIZARDRY. Fans and bands are fortunate to have sites such as yours spreading the word on all that is Metal throughout the world. It's inspiring and rewarding to know that WIZARDRY can have such an international reach, as a yet unsigned band. Cheers to METAL TEMPLE and to all the Metalheads out there! WIZARDRY love you ALL!
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