There are a lot of activities you’d expect a father and his young son might do to bond and form a stronger relationship. Tossing the ball around the yard, camping, watching the game, or if you’re me, getting yelled at in the garage because your then-undiagnosed ADHD made it impossible to handle the pressure of handing the right tools to my dad. Oh, and creating a killer death metal band. Duh.
Tim Kenefic has plied his trade in Assimilator, Throne, and the tongue-in-cheek grind that is Alpha-o-MAGA (the song titles alone are worth it), but it wasn’t until one day when he was driving his son Alexander to school and playing 3 Inches of Blood in the car that they got the notion to throw down their ideas together and form Wizard Death. Tim put together the ferocious music, and Alex created tales of swords, wizardry, and all things that have made metal magical since the start (even singing on the demo). They had something, and the result was EP “I Am the Night.” Added to the lore is Tim sharing the music with his vocal teacher Kayla Dixon (Witch Mountain, Dress the Dead) who added her killer pipes to the songs in the new version that’s being released by Wise Blood. Kyle Smith added drums, and another guest provided a great solo (more on that later) to a really cool project that hopefully continues well into the future.
“I Am the Night” explodes with strong riffs and fire, Dixon’s powerful singing stretching its muscles and adding pressure. The galloping pace threatens to pull you under, rampaging and pummeling, trampling you underfoot as the intensity builds and chars. The chorus pulsates, the leads ride hard, and everything ends in a cloud of dust. “Under the Southern Cross” opens with militaristic drumming rattling, fiery guitar work melting flesh, the raspy singing driving hard into the night. Things turn ominous and doomy, and then the soloing blazes with passion, Dixon’s singing turning things up another notch, charging toward the gates. Closer “Slay the Serpents” starts with a warbling voice sending a warning, doomy heat turning on, and the singing swelling. The playing gets darker and more foreboding, smoking leads crush, and a slick, classic-style solo from Ron Wrong (also of Witch Mountain) pumps lava into the center. The pace picks up harder, the heat dumps a blanket of steam, and the final gasps swelter away.
The Kenefics sounds like they’re having a blast on “I Am the Night,” and why wouldn’t they be? This is such a cool bond for father and son here with Wizard Death, and the guests that come in to add more vitriol to the tracks enrich what already are rock-solid foundations. Hopefully we get more from Wizard Death, as it would be fun to hear this band develop as Alexander grows up. Good thing he has some pretty damn good metal role models at whom to look up.
For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/wizarddeathband
To buy the album, go here: https://wizarddeath333.bandcamp.com/album/i-am-the-night
For more on the label, go here: https://www.facebook.com/wisebloodrecs
Meat Mead Metal 