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Dopethrone
Studio album by
Electric Wizard
Released25 September 2000 (2000-09-25)
RecordedMay–June 2000
StudioChuckalumba Studios
Genre
Length71:08
LabelRise Above
ProducerRolf Startin
Electric Wizard chronology
Supercoven
(1998) 		Dopethrone
(2000) 		Let Us Prey
(2002)

Dopethrone is the third studio album by British metal band Electric Wizard, released on 25 September 2000 by Rise Above Records. Following the release and tour of their previous studio album Come My Fanatics... (1997), the group was asked by Rise Above owner Lee Dorrian to create a follow-up. Vocalist and guitarist Jus Oborn has stated that drug issues and other personal problems led to the production of Dopethrone being a "difficult process".[1] The group entered Chuckalumba Studios in May 2000 with only three tracks written: "Dopethrone", "Funeralopolis", and "We Hate You". The album was recorded in three days. Oborn, who wrote all of the album's lyrics, spoke of H. P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard as influences in his own writing while the group disagreed during the mixing sessions about how the overall record should sound. The music on the album has been described as both doom metal and stoner rock, with influences of British groups like Black Sabbath and Motörhead.

After Dopethrone's release, Electric Wizard went on tour with Sons of Otis in England, followed by a tour in Europe and the group's first performances in the United States. The album was released to positive reviews from Exclaim!, CMJ New Music Monthly, and The Village Voice. Retrospective reviews continued to be positive, with Decibel placing the album on their list of the "Top 20 Stoner Rock Albums of All Time" in September 2007, and Terrorizer declaring Dopethrone the album of the decade in December 2009.

Background and production

Following the release of their 1997 album Come My Fanatics..., Sean Palmerston of Exclaim! stated that Electric Wizard became "pretty much invisible".[2] Vocalist and guitarist Jus Oborn claimed that the music "isn't pop music, where there's commercial pressure to deliver all the time. This is underground metal where, if you're lucky, you might sell one or two copies".[3] Oborn felt that he was pressured by Lee Dorrian, the owner of Rise Above Records, to create a new album.[3] Oborn stated the group all had "drug issues" between the releases of the two albums. Tim Bagshaw, the group's bassist, has said that he was arrested for breaking into a liquor store, and drummer Mark Greening fell off his motorcycle and broke his collarbone. Meanwhile, Oborn was arrested for setting fire to a Reliant Robin.[1] Oborn felt that the difficulties that the band's members experienced in the three years between studio albums were channeled into Dopethrone, and that creating the album was "such a difficult process that it kind of made [life] worse."[1]

Oborn said that the group developed songs via jam sessions, which would occasionally lead to the creation of a song.[3] Prior to entering the studio, only three tracks were written: "Dopethrone", "Funeralopolis", and "We Hate You".[3] Bagshaw said that he wrote "quite a lot of the album", including writing "Vinum Sabbathi" in "about two minutes", along with "I, The Witchfinder", "Golgotha", and "We Hate You".[1] The album's centrepiece, titled "Weird Tales", was created entirely within the studio.[3] On discussing the track's multiple parts, Oborn admitted later declared it "kind of stupid, like prog-rock or some shit."[4] Greening's contribution was hearing what Bagshaw and Oborn had come up with and drumming to it.[1] The album was recorded at Chuckalumba Studios between May and June 2000.[5] Prior to recording each song, Oborn indulged in both cannabis and cocaine; Bagshaw said that the group consumed "copious amounts of weed and booze".[6]

Bagshaw and Greening described the recording sessions as mostly about "getting really stoned" and "quite good fun", respectively.[7] Oborn recalled that the initial recording sessions were about three or four days, with the mixing taking much longer as there were arguments among the group members.[8] Oborn argued with producer Rolf Startin about how the album should sound.[7] Two longer tracks, "Weird Tales" and "Dopethrone", were completed in their first and second takes, respectively. Oborn said that "back then we didn't have a way to cut it up and just redo one part."[1] The track "Mind Transferal" was recorded during this session but only released later as a bonus track for Japanese releases of the album.[7]

Music

Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune said that unlike American stoner rock that drew from punk music, grunge, and heavy metal, the music on Dopethrone was more akin to early 1970s Black Sabbath and the music of Motörhead.[9] Jim DeRogatis of The Chicago Sun-Times noted that the style was primarily known as stoner rock in the United States and "Doom" in the United Kingdom.[10] Greening spoke in 2007 about the Electric Wizard albums he had worked on, saying that "I wanted something with louder drums. I always regret all the Electric Wizard releases, because the drums don't sound loud enough", and that Dopethrone did "not represent the sound I was trying to give off, as with all Electric Wizard releases."[7] Oborn said that the other members of the group wanted to introduce elements of hip hop music and the sound of Nirvana.[3] Oborn later recalled that Bagshaw had been "into some weird shit; he'd listen to Linkin Park and shit like that. Fucking shite. [...] They wanted to put scratching or some shit on one song, and I could've killed them."[11]

Anthony Bartkewicz of Decibel commented that the Oborn's lyrics put Dopethrone more in line with death or black metal than Black Sabbath's "hippie-love brother sentiment".[12] Oborn, who wrote all of the album's lyrics, spoke of H. P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard as an influence on his own writing, specifically the atmosphere of Lovecraft's work and Howard's "attitude towards society, these anti-civilization rants. That was a big inspiration for me."[13] On specific Lovecraft stories that inspired him, Oborn cited "The Music of Erich Zann" and "The Dreams in the Witch House", with their themes of the occult being carried into music through time signatures.[6] Oborn described the inspiration of the song "Dopethrone" as a story he had heard about someone who owned a couch made entirely of dope. "We Hate You" was inspired by Ozzy Osbourne, whom Oborn described as "always going about how much he fucking loved everyone, so we thought it would be great to go and do the opposite."[3]

Release

Dopethrone was released on 25 September 2000 by Rise Above Records.[14] The Music Cartel released the album in the United States via mail order on 20 November 2000. It became available in retail shops in January 2001.[15] The album was reissued in 2004;[16] this version included the bonus track "Mind Transferal".[17] The 2004 reissue of the album also had the track "Dopethrone" edited down from 20 minutes to 10 minutes.[11] When asked about this edit in 2007, Oborn responded that he was unaware that the change had been made.[11]

Following the release of the album, Electric Wizard toured with the group Sons of Otis, initially in England starting on 27 September 2000, followed by shows across Europe, including Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and the Netherlands. The tour concluded with a final show in England on 22 October in Bradford.[18] Following the tour, Electric Wizard did their first tour of the United States, becoming the first band on the Rise Above Records label to tour the country.[19] The tour began on 4 March 2001, and it concluded on April 8 with a show at South by Southwest. On the tour, the band predominantly toured with Warhorse, while also performing shows with Bongzilla, Cathedral, and Converge.[20] On March 7, the three members of Electric Wizard were searched and interrogated for possession of illegal substances in Richmond, Virginia.[19] Erik Larson of Alabama Thunderpussy, who were also performing that day, was able to assist the group in getting the police to drop the charges. The band's American label, The Music Cartel, responded to the event, stating that "with a band like Electric Wizard something like this happening wasn't very far off the mark. I just hope nothing worse happens before the tour is completed."[19] Bagshaw reflected on their American tour as like serving in the Vietnam War, saying that it "strengthened their armor".[11] Greening said that the tour "seemed like a good laugh" but that the group was "young at the time [...] at times it was soul destroying."[11] Oborn commented more positively on it, expressing his excitement about touring the United States and "staying at great hotels, being treated like kings", while noting that the group had still argued a lot while on tour.[11]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[21]
Chicago Sun-Times[22]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal4/10[23]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[24]
Kerrang![25]
Metal Hammer8/10[26]
Rock Hard8/10[27]
Rock Sound[28]
Terrorizer9/10[29]

Dopethrone received positive reviews from CMJ New Music Monthly, Exclaim!, AllMusic, and The Chicago Sun-Times.[30][21][30][10] Palmerston of Exclaim! and Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic found the album was so strong and high-quality that it had set a standard of the genre.[21][30] Other reviewers felt the album had an over-the-top nature in terms of vocals and music [9][10] DeRogatis said audiences might approach the album as being close to a Spinal Tap-like parody but felt that it did not negate the group from being "one of the most intense rock bands pounding the boards anywhere in this new millennium."[10] George Smith of the Village Voice also commented on the music, referring to it as a doom metal equivalent of the German beer Reinheitsgebot, declaring it "bitter and sulfuric to the point of unpalatability, but against which everything else seems watery."[31] In a more mixed review from Kerrang!, Mörat stated that although Dopethrone was "an aural landslide", there were "times when all [its] psychedelic sludgery drags on like a new ice age."[25]

Oborn initially said that he had not wanted to listen to the album for a long time and that he was unaware of how the album was received by critics or fans until he began touring to promote it.[4] Bagshaw commented on the album in 2007, saying that he did not care what others felt about the album.[4] Oborn commented in 2011 that he looked fondly on the album, calling Come My Fanatics… (1997), Supercoven (1998), and Dopethrone "the trilogy of terror", and saying that by the time they got to Dopethrone, that he knew what the group needed.[3] Anthony Bartkewicz of Decibel, in commenting on the album's legacy, said that it established doom metal formally as a lifestyle.[12]

Accolades for Dopethrone
Publication Country Accolade Year Rank Ref.
Decibel United States Top 20 Stoner Rock Albums of All Time 2007 2
[32]
Top 100 Greatest Metal Albums of the Decade 2009 10
[33]
Top 100 Doom Metal Albums of All Time 2014 8
[34]
Loudwire United States Top 25 Doom Metal Albums of All Time 2017 3
[35]
Metal Hammer United Kingdom The 100 greatest metal albums of the 21st century 2018 31
[36]
Terrorizer United Kingdom Writers Poll 200 2000 3 [37]
Top 100 Albums of the Decade 2009 1
[38][39]

Track listing

All songs performed by Electric Wizard. Lyrics by Jus Oborn.[5][40]

Original Issue[21]
No.TitleLength
1."Vinum Sabbathi"3:06
2."Funeralopolis"8:43
3."Weird Tales"
  • I. "Electric Frost"
  • II. "Golgatha"
  • III. "Altar of Melektaus"
15:04
4."Barbarian"6:29
5."I, The Witchfinder"11:03
6."The Hills Have Eyes"0:47
7."We Hate You"5:08
8."Dopethrone"20:48
Total length:71:08


Remastered[41]
No.TitleLength
1."Vinum Sabbathi"3:05
2."Funeralopolis"8:43
3."Weird Tales"
  • I. "Electric Frost"
  • II. "Golgatha"
  • III. "Altar of Melektaus"
15:04
4."Barbarian"6:29
5."I, The Witchfinder"11:04
6."The Hills Have Eyes"0:46
7."We Hate You"5:08
8."Dopethrone"10:36
9."Mind Transferal"14:56
Total length:75:51

Credits

Credits adapted from the liner notes of the album.[5] Extra details are from Decibel.[1]

  • Jus Oborn – guitar, vocals, effects, lyrics, artwork, design
  • Tim Bagshaw – bass, fuzz bass, effects
  • Mark Greening – drums (credited as "assault and battery")
  • Electric Wizard – performer and "deranger"
  • Rolf Startin – mixing, producer
  • Josh Stephen – assistant
  • Hugh Gilmour – artwork, design, photography
  • Tom Bagshaw – cover art

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Bartkewicz 2007, p. 75.
  2. ^ Palmerston 2001.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Dome 2011.
  4. ^ a b c Bartkewicz 2007, p. 78.
  5. ^ a b c Dopethrone [liner notes] (Media notes). Electric Wizard. Rise Above Records. RISELP073.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ^ a b Bartkewicz 2007, p. 76.
  7. ^ a b c d Bartkewicz 2007, p. 77.
  8. ^ Bartkewicz 2007, p. 76-77.
  9. ^ a b Kot 2001.
  10. ^ a b c d DeRogatis, Jim (7 December 2001). "Electric Wizard Stays the Course". The Chicago Sun-Times. p. 5 NC. Retrieved 29 May 2024 – via jimdero.com.
  11. ^ a b c d e f Bartkewicz 2007, p. 79.
  12. ^ a b Bartkewicz 2007, p. 71.
  13. ^ Bartkewicz 2007, p. 74-75.
  14. ^ "Electric Wizard". Rise Above Records. Archived from the original on 12 October 2000. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  15. ^ "Electric Wizard's 'Dopethrone' Coming to the U.S.!!". The Music Cartel. 8 November 2000. Archived from the original on 4 December 2000. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  16. ^ "New Releases". Music Week. 7 August 2004. p. 30.
  17. ^ "13/8/04 Big Black & Dopethrone Re-issues Now in St". Rise Above Records. 13 August 2004. Archived from the original on 12 December 2004. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  18. ^ "Electric Wizard Tour Dates 2000 (With Sons of Otis)". Rise Above Records. Archived from the original on 19 November 2000. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  19. ^ a b c "Rise Above News". Rise Above Records. Archived from the original on 7 June 2002. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  20. ^ "Electric Wizard USA Tour 2001". Rise Above Records. Archived from the original on 11 February 2002. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  21. ^ a b c d Rivadavia.
  22. ^ DeRogatis, Jim (18 March 2001). "Sun-Times reviews look at what's new on the charts". Chicago Sun-Times. ProQuest 258687453. Archived from the original on 14 October 2001. Retrieved 29 May 2024 – via jimdero.com.
  23. ^ Popoff & Perri 2011.
  24. ^ Larkin 2006.
  25. ^ a b Mörat 2000.
  26. ^ Bent 2000.
  27. ^ Rock Hard 2000.
  28. ^ Griffiths 2000.
  29. ^ Mozaque 2000.
  30. ^ a b c Behrman 2001.
  31. ^ Smith 2001.
  32. ^ Green 2007, p. 69.
  33. ^ Green 2009, p. 36.
  34. ^ Bartkewicz 2014, p. 38.
  35. ^ DiVita, Joe (13 September 2017). "Top 25 Doom Metal Albums of All Time". Loudwire. Archived from the original on 13 March 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  36. ^ Metal Hammer (12 October 2018). "The 100 greatest metal albums of the 21st century". Metal Hammer (loudersound). p. 7. Archived from the original on 17 January 2024. Retrieved 17 January 2024.
  37. ^ Anon. 2001, p. 58.
  38. ^ Mikkelson 2009, p. 46. "The fact an album released at the turn of the century has found itself in the position of album of the decade is testament to the impact of this doom metal masterpiece [...] While [their] self-titled debut album saw them dip their toes into the pool of Sabbathian riffs and 'Come My Fanatics' hammered in the foundations of their sound like a meteorite hitting a bong factory, 'Dopethrone' remains the crowning achievement, the fullest embodiment of all that is [Electric] Wizard."
  39. ^ Stewart-Panko 2011.
  40. ^ Dopethrone [2000 liner notes] (Media notes). Electric Wizard. Rise Above Records. CDRISE 27.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  41. ^ Dopethrone [2006 liner notes] (Media notes). Electric Wizard. Rise Above Records. RISECD073.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

Sources

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