Evolving with every release, ELECTRIC WIZARD have created another mind-scrambling epic in the guise of ninth opus ‘Wizard Bloody Wizard’. JIM MARTIN talks to frontman JUS OBORN about its creation, celebrating the roots of heavy metal, taking control of his musical destiny and the quest for the ultimate rock ‘n‘ roll excess for Iron Fist issue 20 January 16th, 2018 marks the fiftieth anniversary of Blue Cheer’s ‘Vincebus Eruptum’, arguably the first bona fide heavy metal album of ‘em all. Moreover, somewhere in the subconscious of every metalhead – amidst the destroyed braincells and reckless pandemonium they’ve experienced in the last half-century, lurks a certain sense of this genre’s own big bang – that period from 1968 to 1973 wherein the ‘60s bled into the ‘70s, the idealistic dreams of the hippy generation began to curdle amidst violence and bloodshed from Vietnam, Altamont and the Manson family alike, and horror both real-life and imagined began to influence a feverish lurch into overdrive and dementia – reaching its apotheosis naturally with the first Black Sabbath album in 1970, amidst psychic shockwaves which still resonate well into the next century. “I don’t think there was very much of a template for what heavy music … Read More

On tour in the UK right now, Chicago thrashers OOZING WOUND like to take their metal seriously, but it still oozes fun

“This music is fun and we don’t try to over think it,” states Zack Weil, one third of Chicago’s raddest, anti-bullshit thrash band Oozing Wound. “Most bands don’t understand how cheesy they are, but we do understand how cheesy we are on a base level. You’ve got to be a little Diamond Dave, you can’t be all Glenn Danzig all the time. I mean, we’re not firemen, we’re not saving people’s lives! Sure we are serious about rocking, but why should we posture with arms folded and furrowed brows? You’ve got to keep it in perspective that being in a band is cool! It sure keeps us sane, at least. Outside of the band, everything is serious and a drag. So why not have a good time with music?  That’s why we embrace weird humour and puns in our song titles so much” he explains. 

A perfect example of this is ‘You Owe Me, Iommi’ – which is the title they gave to their “slow Black Sabbath rip off song on the new album ‘Whatever Forever’.” Couple this clever word play with a … Read More