Wizard TattooWhen Gods Had Hands

Here in Indianapolis (and the surrounding counties), the Hoosier state capital has been blessed to host several amazing bands and projects over the years. Mother of Graves, Coffinworm, Contortionist, Veilcaste, Graveripper, Demiricous, Alex Williams, Kiritsis, Wes Montgomery, and Gates of Slumber are but a few of most talented and well-loved of the lot, but in my estimation none stand taller than Wizard Tattoo.

Helmed by multi-instrumentalist Bram the Bard with Fausto Aurelius handling vocal duties, Wizard Tattoo have never been shy about exploring beyond the typical metal subgeners. Releases like 2023”s Fables of the Damned and 2024’s Living Just for Knife Fighting (itself a combined release of Living Just for Dying and One of These Knives plus covers released the same year) show just how expertly the duo weave in elements of their sonic influences. On Fables… for instance, its not a stretch to imagine Bram was particularly influenced by the edgier side of grunge - bands like Alice In Chains and TAD, late 90’s stoner rock a la Kyuss and Fu Manchu, and endorsing their own weighty side of funk when composing the music for that release.

It’s no surprise, then, that the duo went beyond normal subgenre expectations when setting out to release a black metal record. Sure, the tried and true production techniques - swathes of hall reverb, brittle-cold guitar lines, war drums - they’re all here in abundance, but its the unexpected elements they’ve added to that time-tested formula that makes this album such a delight to experience time-and-time again. It’s the breaths between the hectic bits of boogy that gives the album its unique charms. Moments like a reverb-laden, heavily-distorted bass guitar supplanting Bram’s tremolo-picked fury give the album a tangible sense of weight, bringing the listener back down to earth with the tectonic intensity of a doom riff after being sent sky born by the velocity of second-wave black metal. Add in Fausto’s pitch-perfect impersonation of Mayhem’s Attila Csihar to this and it’s no wonder this record is such a rousing sonic success.

The production on the album brings about a sense of nostalgia for us old-heads that have been devouring black metal for the past 25+ years. When Gods Had Hands certainly isn’t coming out of a multi-million dollar studio with all the editing mop-up duties and sterile, lifeless qualities one has come to expect from albums being produced from them. Oh no, When Gods Had Hands proudly wears its grit, grime, and rust on its sleeves like a proper black metal record should. I know younger fans can sometimes have a hard time wrapping their heads around this kind of thing, but some of us old farts enjoy a - dare I say it - amateur approach to production on extreme metal releases. There’s a certain charm to records that are left a bit messy around the edges, and this album hits just the right mix of clarity and corrosion.

If I were forced to make comparisons, I’d say When Gods Had Hands could be comprised of one part Celtic Frost, one part Merciful Fate, one part Sons of the Northern Darkness-era Immortal, and one part Ulver. Its a sonic mashup that simply works beyond all reasonable expectations. Thus far When Gods Had Hands is on my shortlist for one of my favorite albums of the year and certainly is the frontrunner for favorite extreme-metal release. Only time can tell how much listening time this release will get in the coming years, but I have to think this will be a part of my regular rotation for years to come. Well done, fellas!