GLITTER WIZARD, a Glam/Stoner rock band hailing from San Francisco, has been around for about ten years now. "Opera Villains," released April 2019, is their fourth LP. My biggest challenge with GLITTER WIZARD is figuring out whether or not to take them seriously. Is this a spoof band trying to rock, or a hard rocking band trying to be ironic? The answer is, of course: It doesn't matter. The real question is: Can they kick out the jams? The answer to that is mixed.

"A Spell So Evil," gives the album a solid opener. A fast-paced, bluesy track, it's no wonder that this is also their first single off of the album. Unfortunately after this promising start comes a string of mediocre offerings recalling URIAH HEEP and HAWKWIND, but with sappy, strained lyrics. Thankfully there are several tracks which go a long way to reverse the trend and, depending on your tastes, possibly redeem the album altogether. Tracks like "Ten Foot Man," "Hall of the Oyster King," and "Warm Blood" are heavy hitters, earning a spot in on my repeat rotation for the week.

GLITTER WIZARD are at their best when they embrace their satirical nature and match it measure for measure with well orchestrated hard-rocking riffs. As an example, "Hall of the Oyster King," which I have to believe is a bow to the SAVATAGE classic "Hall of the Mountain King," is as memorable for its hysterical lyrics and electric flute solo as it is for its riveting licks.

Word on the street is that GLITTER WIZARD put on a great live show. This makes sense as so many of their songs seem to lend themselves to theatrical renderings. I recall seeing ALESTORM play at the Scout Bar in Houston, Texas. This was years ago before the idea of Pirate Metal came into being (at least to anyone except ALESTORM). When they took the stage, I laughed. After a killer set, I wasn't laughing anymore. I would put GLITTER WIZARD in the same category-a talented band with a very nuanced niche. With "Opera Villains" GLITTER WIZARD deliver exactly what the album title suggests: A pack of stories about an assortment of overwrought villains. Sometimes the songs are overwrought as well, but they certainly match the lyrical intent. All together, the album is fair with accents of very good.