[photos by Shane Gardner]
Decibel Magazine is now streaming “Fire Wizards,” the new audio rampage from Baltimore, Maryland fantasy/stoner doom metal outfit HAZE MAGE. The track is a preview of the band’s impending debut full-length, Chronicles, which will see release through Grimoire Records on April 19th.
HAZE MAGE‘s first album Chronicles is an expansion of the fantasy world created in their debut EP. The album and its concept have been in development since 2017 as part of an even broader narrative yet to come. Each song introduces a new character or piece of lore for the listening adventurers to encounter. Chronicles was recorded, mixed, and mastered between fall 2018 and winter 2019 by Grimoire Records’ co-founder and audio engineer Noel Mueller. The artwork was created by John De Campos/Ghost Bat Illustration with additional layout work by Noel Mueller, with photography by Shane Gardner.
Alongside the delivery of their “Fire Wizards” single, the HAZE MAGE crew offers, “Within the gloomy, medieval fantasy realm we have created, the Fire Wizards are an ancient order of mercenary pyromancers who lend their precise and destructive abilities to the highest bidder as the most powerful and feared conjurers in the land. As a song, ‘Fire Wizards’ represents elements that ignite us musically; big fuzzed out riffs, tempo changes, and wailing guitar solos. It’s a culmination of our collective songwriting styles and as a single from Chronicles, it serves as a call to arms to get you ready to ride into battle with us into the depths of a fiery haze.”
With their premiere of the track, Decibel writes in part, “Combining the larger-than-life riffage of acts like Sleep, High On Fire, The Sword, and, of course, Black Sabbath with larger-than-life fantasy tales, Chronicles is truly a doom odyssey. To make things more unique, HAZE MAGE have built a medieval fantasy world in which their albums take place, which leads us to today’s offering, ‘Fire Wizards.'”
Stream the new HAZE MAGE track “Fire Wizards” at Decibel RIGHT HERE.
Chronicles will see release on limited edition CD, and digital download via Grimoire Records on April 19th. Find preorders HERE.
HAZE MAGE has also booked the new installment of Grim Reefer Fest at the Ottobar in Baltimore, appropriately scheduled for 4/20 in conjunction with the release of the Chronicles album. In addition to HAZE MAGE, the event will feature sets from Ruby The Hatchet, Heavy Temple, Horseburner, Mountainwolf, Book Of Wyrms, Tombtoker, labelmates Yatra, and more. Watch for additional tour dates to be announced in the weeks ahead.
HAZE MAGE Live:
4/20/2019 Ottobar – Baltimore, MD @ Grim Reefer Fest [info]
Forged in late 2015, HAZE MAGE creates riff-driven, anthemic fantasy metal that transports listeners to a world of ancient dark forests, savage beasts, and gloomy landscapes engulfed by a menacing miasma of haunting haze. HAZE MAGE weaves their fantasy world through lyrics and sound that draw inspiration from many sub genres of metal including Black Sabbath, Queens Of The Stone Age, The Sword, Clutch, High On Fire, and Sleep to create what they have dubbed “sword and sorcery doom.”
Having quickly gained attention in the Baltimore metal scene thanks to their exuberant and thundering stage shows, HAZE MAGE first caught the ear of local label and friends, Grimoire Records, in the summer of 2016. In 2017, Grimoire recorded and released the band’s Blood Mist debut EP to critical praise from outlets such as The Obelisk, Worldwide Underground, and Heavy Planet, who found it “…bold, psychedelic, and memorable.” The band has performed at a number of notable annual events including Artscape, Days Of Darkness Festival, Shadow Woods Metal Fest, and Light City, and has maintained a presence in the Baltimore metal scene at clubs such as Metro Gallery, The Ottobar, Rams Head, and Soundstage.
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