Bay Area hard rock bastions Glitter Wizard will release their new LP, 'Opera Villains', on April 19 via Heavy Psych Sounds Records (Brant Bjork, Dead Witches, Ecstatic Vision). The album is the follow-up to the group's 2016 release, 'Hollow Earth Tour', a record hailed as "headbanging space-boogie" by CBS San Francisco.
In advance of the release of 'Opera Villains', Treble premieres the new Glitter Wizard song, "Ten Foot Man", saying, "It's trippy, and it's a ripper, with plenty of Sabbath-, Blue Cheer- and Deep Purple-style heavy rock 'n' roll to go around." Stream Glitter Wizard's "Ten Foot Man" at this location:
https://www.treblezine.com/premiere-glitter-wizard-ten-foot-man-stream/
Formed in the late aughts, Glitter Wizard is renowned for its unique style of over-the-top hard rock and high octane live show that it has been bringing to stages for over a decade. Twisting together elements of Black Sabbath, Hawkwind, Blue Cheer and Black Oak Arkansas (Wendy Stonehenge, the band's Spandex-clad lead singer, works the stage in a high-energy frenzy that recalls Jim "Dandy" Mangrum), Glitter Wizard's sound is a blistering assault of crunchy distortion, spaced-out synthesizers and the cultish echoes of Stonehenge's incantations. They have won over audiences touring the U.S. and Europe, playing both club shows and festivals like Roadburn, DesertFest, BurgerBoogaloo, SXSW, Desert Daze, and Psycho de Mayo along the way. Glitter Wizard's music has been featured in film, podcasts, the X Games, and even a low budget porno.
Are they glam? Are they metal? Stoner rock? Psych? Prog? For years, critics have been trying to pin down Glitter Wizard but this California band refuses to be pigeonholed. Glitter Wizard plays a unique brand of freak rock and roll that Julian Cope once described as "unashamedly glamorous hard rock", and he's not wrong. Pulling influences from the entire heavy rock canon, the group creates music that has a distinct familiarity, yet sounds entirely new and weird. The impending new LP, 'Opera Villains', brings the heat that we've come to expect from the band but adds a layer of theatrics that we haven't yet heard before.
Another taste of what 'Opera Villains' holds in store can be heard now as the band has also released the new track "A Spell So Evil", which Stonehenge calls "A song about wizards, sung by wizards." Rock Glitter Wizard's "A Spell So Evil" at this location (via Metal Insider).
Track listing:
1.) A Spell So Evil (Metal Insider premiere)
2.) The Toxic Lady
3.) Fear of the Dark
4.) Ten Foot Man (Treble premiere)
5.) March of the Red Cloaks
6.) Rats
7.) Dead Man's Wax
8.) Hall of the Oyster King
9.) Prelude to a Duel
10.) Warm Blood
Pre-order 'Opera Villains' at this location. Heavy Psych Sounds Records is distributed in the USA by All That Is Heavy and Forced Exposure.
https://www.heavypsychsounds.com/shop.htm#HPS095
In additional news, Glitter Wizard will play live as part of the San Francisco stop of the 'Heavy Psych Sounds Fest' series. Set to kick off this May in Los Angeles (May 3), San Francisco (May 4-5), Dallas (May 10) and Austin, TX (May 11), the label tour will feature four separate mini-festivals in the four cities, each spotlighting an exclusive selection of Heavy Psych Sounds' blue-chip roster, including live sets from trailblazing acts Fatso Jetson, Nebula and Yawning Man, as well as special guests Red Fang and more. For more details, visit this location.
The band will also perform at a hometown album release show, set for May 24 at Eli's Mile High Club (for full details, see here).
Glitter Wizard features Wendy Stonehenge (vocals, piano), Doug Graves (keyboards, synths), Lorfin Terrafor (guitar, vocals), Kandi Moon (bass, vocals) and Fancy Cymballs (drums). Follow Glitter Wizard on Facebook and Instagram.
https://www.facebook.com/Glitter-Wizard-77619029508/
Glitter Wizard is available to speak with interested media. To chat with the band or request a review copy of 'Opera Villains', simply contact Carl Schultz at ACTION! PR.
"As we all know, rock gods are a vital piece of the world's cultural fabric. Think of how much duller Earth would be if Iggy Pop hadn't developed a lust for life, David Lee Roth had never jumped, and Def Leppard had never prompted hysteria. The world needs more rock gods. But how do you become one with no financial backing? Fear not! Wendy Stonehenge is frontman of flamboyant East Bay rock 'n' roll outfit Glitter Wizard - and he and his bandmates are here to help." - SF Weekly
