Manchester, UK, groove rockers Ten Foot Wizard will release their third full-length, Get Out of Your Mind, on July 10 through their own Beard of Zeus imprint. If so inclined, one could easily spend the better part of an afternoon sitting down and dissecting the eight tracks of the 42-minute offering for their component influence, be it the prominence of Clutch-style funk-informed riffing in starts and stops throughout, the harsh sludge bite that surprises in the screaming chorus of opener “Namaste Dickhead,” a little flash of Asteroid in the vocals for the verse of the subsequent “Broken Man,” the Queens-y desert thrust of “Noble Lie,” the surf mania in the apex of “Summer Love,” the deft turn between the angular bridge of “Get Out of Your Mind” and its post-C.O.C. hook, the Motörhead-via-Orange–Goblin burl and speed of “How Low Can You Go?,” the manner in which the UK-style sludge metal of “Working Towards a Bitter Future” gives way to Sleep-y drift-riffing en route to an uptempo boogie-nod finish or the keyboard-laced sum-it-all-up closer that is the eight-minute “King Shit of Fuck Mountain.” As I say, in could spend an afternoon engaged in such an activity.

It’s far more fun, however, to follow the shenanigans-fueled bounce riffing wherever the band might let it lead, because whatever else Ten Foot Wizard are as they move into their third album, they’re well in control of the proceedings. This generation of UK heavy underground acts isn’t at all shy about having a good time, and certainly that applies across Get Out of Your Mind as well, but as with some other of that very populated national scene — Manchester is north of the epicenter in London, but still — there’s no sacrifice in terms of craft being made. “Namaste Dickhead?” The song’s a blast, and the same holds for the record front-to-back, whether it’s the push in “Broken Man,” the catchy callout of the title-cut or the bed of ultra-fuzz guitarists Gary Harkin (also vocals) and Adam Henry put down as the foundation for “King Shit of Fuck Mountain,” but they aren’t just screwing around, and more over, it’s not like one impulse works against the other. Harkin, Henry, drummer Jonny Banyard and bassist Emlyn Spiers make the album itself the party, instead of just having a party instead of an album. That’s a huge difference when it comes to the final listening experience, and it’s basically the difference between a band putting together a quality full-length and a band fucking around. Ten Foot Wizard position themselves decisively in the former category.

Is that a gong in “King Shit of Fuck Mountain?” I don’t know, but it sounds cool over the slow part that consumes the second half of the song and that’s good enough for me. Get Out of Your Mind, in following the band’s 2017 split with Chubby Thunderous Bad Kush Masters (review here) and prior 2015 sophomore outing, Sleeping Volcanoes, has any number of accomplishments to its credit, not the least of which are the tonal presence brought to bear in the guitars and bass, the percussive variety Banyard uses to complement the riffs, and the diversity in Harkin‘s vocals, but it is in bringing the different sides together around memorable songs that Ten Foot Wizard‘s third long-player makes its greatest mark. If this is the band realizing their potential, then it’s been worth the five-year wait since their second album, and if there’s more to come as they continue to move forward, then all the better. Let the party roll on. In that sense, Get Out of Your Mind only seems like an open invitation.

Preorders are up now for Get Out of Your Mind through Ten Foot Wizard‘s Bandcamp, and all proceeds from said preorders are going to Black Lives Matter. In light of that, here’s the direct link: https://tenfootwizard.bandcamp.com/album/get-out-of-your-mind

It’s my pleasure to host “Broken Man” premiering on the player below. Gary Harkin offers some comment on the track and there’s more PR wire info beneath that.

I hope you enjoy:

Gary Harkin on “Broken Man”:

The song started with Jonny bringing the chorus riff to the band, and we wrote the song collaboratively from there. This is actually the first song we’ll have released that’s been written by the whole band.

The lyrics are about being pushed to the edge, being taken to breaking point, and finally snapping. Similar to the protagonists in Taxi Driver and Falling Down. Everyone has their limit, and when you find it, it can be scary. We live in time in which a lot of people are marginalised, and the frustration and anger are palpable. Broken Man speaks of the mental and emotional deterioration of someone who’s been pushed too far, and that desperate state where a person can be capable of doing just about anything.

Manchester’s cheeky heavy rock unit TEN FOOT WIZARD announce the release of their juggernaut third album ‘Get Out Of Your Mind’ on July 10th, which is available right now for preorder.

Blending the classic sounds of Sabbath and ZZ Top with the grooves of contemporary luminaries such as Clutch, and the funk of Parliament/Funkadelic, Manchester’s tropical riff storm TEN FOOT WIZARD are set to raise the bar for fans of swaggering rock anthems with the release of their gigantic third album ‘Get Out Of Your Mind’.

Mixed by Grammy Award-winning producer Nic Hard (Snarky Puppy/The Bravery/Bokante) in Brooklyn, the follow-up to 2015’s ‘Sleeping Volcanoes’ truly ups the ante of the foursome’s groove-infused formula. Its juggernaut riffs and sexy grooves are taking no prisoners, as TEN FOOT WIZARD go harder and stronger than ever, elevated by the deep-toned vocals — when they’re not turning into a monastic growl coming from the depths of the universe — from frontman Gary Harkin. ‘Get Out Of Your Mind’ creates its own path of glorious and highly entertaining brand of rock’n’roll, embarking in its wake all those eager to celebrate the end of the world the right way. With a special appearance from Snarky Puppy’s keyboard genius Justin Stanton on final track “King Shit Of Fuck Mountain”, TEN FOOT WIZARD spread their sonic wings wider and let their creativity flow through this 8-minute epic of pace-shifting psychedelic heaviness. Another TFW track for the books!

The album will be available on July 10th via the band’s Beard Of Zeus label, and available to preorder via Bandcamp on LTD orange vinyl, CD and digital. All vinyl preorders will be shipped with a free TFW patch!

TEN FOOT WIZARD is:
Gary Harkin – Vocals/Guitar
Adam Henry – Guitar
Jonny Banyard – Drums/Percussion
Emlyn Spiers – Bass Guitar

Ten Foot Wizard on Thee Facebooks

Ten Foot Wizard on Instagram

Ten Foot Wizard on Bandcamp

Ten Foot Wizard BigCartel store

Tags: Beard of Zeus Records, Get Out of Your Mind, Manchester, Ten Foot Wizard, Ten Foot Wizard Get Out of Your Mind, UK

This entry was posted on Friday, June 5th, 2020 at 5:10 am and is filed under audiObelisk, Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.