Album Review: Moon Wizard - Sirens
Reviewed by Matthew Williams
If you appreciate all that’s good around stoner and doom metal, then you are going to really enjoy the latest release from Moon Wizard. The quartet hailing from Salt Lake City, Utah, have a collection of songs that are full of haunting melodies and exquisite musical composition.
Originally formed by three longtime friends, Aaron Brancheau on guitar, Joe Fiel on bass and Ashton Nelson on drums, they emerged into the doom metal world with a self-released album back in 2018. Vocalist Sami Wolfs joined in 2020, adding a different ingredient to the band, and they haven’t looked back since.
The thing that appeals to me most, is the sumptuous bass from Fiel that simply explodes across the entire album. It just feels and sounds so damn good and comes to life in the opening track “Meteor”. We are then treated to an element of psych guitar playing from Brancheau on “Mothership” before the vocals begin to take control. There’s no dominating from anyone in the band, but the music and lyrics feel like they have some sort of symbiotic relationship as everything meanders together beautifully.
Even the fading in and out of the songs feels effortless, and “Magnolia” is another song which oozes class and will have you shaking your head in admiration. It’s very catchy, with the vocals elevating it to new heights, and this is followed by the well-crafted “Luminaire”. Once again, the bass is high up in the mix, and the sound works so well with the easy paced drumming of Nelson and allows the guitar riff to kick along. You get that Kyuss influence in this one.
It's a constant theme running throughout the 9 songs, and they’ve set the bar high for 2025. With some stoner/doom songs, there’s a tendency for the rhythm to go on for a bit too long in places, but it seems that Moon Wizard have meticulously planned each note and each lyric. Evidence is given with the next two songs “Epoch” and the rather brilliant, “Desert Procession” as no moment is wasted, and it’s filled with flawless precision.
You get more of a doom feel to the opening of “Crestfallen”, as the trademark riff appears, without being too heavy. It has more subtlety to it, and they don’t fall into the trap of producing standard hooks either. The music ploughs on and the solo is catchy as hell before the stunning bass intro on “Phantom” begins. This is easily my favourite song on the album, as it has that menacing and ghostly feel to it, with Wolfs displaying her fine vocal talent. It all wraps up with “Sunday” which kicks off with a stoner rock riff and straight into a doom melody that hooks you right in.
As stated above, they’ve filled their songs with excellent hooks, riffs and melodies, and when put together with the haunting vocals, this is a cracker of an album.
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