Going on this alone, I’d say Wizard Rifle are a solid band who deal in bits. The overall thrust of ‘Here In The Deadlights’ is one I can certainly get behind: big, thumping, sludgy noise-rock that’s like a metalized Melvins / Jesus Lizard mash-up. Things belch and slobber, riffs veer between prickly jags and hefty wallops and I guess I’m mostly reminded of bands like Black Elk and KEN mode. While that’s all well and good, I kinda feel like the band have not quite found the magic thread that ties it all together. I can zone in on and praise individual riffs, hooks, or percussive fillips, but I couldn’t necessarily recommend one whole song that’d warrant pride of place on a 12-song mixtape or you-gotta-hear-this! playlist. More than passable for now, then, but I really rather hope they find that mysterious extra oomph before they roll out the next release.
