Bog Wizard Set Oct. 25 Release for Journey Through the Dying Lands
I won’t hazard to predict what kind of bizarro doom Michigan’s Bog Wizard have conjured up with their new collection, Journey Through the Dying Lands, which the band are set to release on Oct. 25 in conjunction with Madness Hearts Games. It’s not the trio’s first time at the dance when it comes to melding tabletop gaming and doomly heft, and with a short story by drummer Harlen Linke as a thematic foundation, Journey Through the Dying Lands promises to mix fantasy elements with the band’s particularly sludged collective take in ways that are sure to pique the interests of applicable nerdery while also pulling tracks from past releases for recontextualization.
There’s no audio yet from this Journey the band are undertaking, but the band sent the following info and background down the PR wire. Dig in:
BOG WIZARD – Journey Through the Dying Lands Out Oct 25th 2024
Independently published in collaboration with Madness Hearts Games
Bog Wizard is a 3 piece doom/sludge/stoner metal band inspired by tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons and Mork Borg, as well as fantasy literature, while often spoofing off the Satanic Panic era. Since 2020 the band has relentlessly released 6 different albums including two splits with the bands Froglord and Dust Lord, multiple soundtracks tied to table top gaming releases, and two full length albums. Bog Wizard features crushing 8 string guitar riffs and a mix of clean and harsh vocals.
Journey Through the Dying Lands is the third full length album by Bog Wizard, which is a concept collaboration album tied to the anthology book of the same name, released by Madness Hearts Games. The book is a compilation of stories taking place in the tabletop game Mork Borg universe, which is described as “a doom metal album of a game.” This compilation features a short story titled “I, Mycelium” written by the drummer for Bog Wizard, Harlen Linke.
Bog Wizard is Ben Lombard (guitar/ vocals), Harlen Linke (percussion/ vocals), and Colby Lowman (bass)
Track Listing:
1. I, Mycelium
2. Dodz Bringare
3. Hagfish Dinner
4. Stuck in the Muck (Live)
5. Barbaria (Live)
Track descriptions:
Journey’s opening track I, Mycelium is a retelling of this story in music form, clocking it at just under 20 minutes, featuring a broad expansive ambient landscape performed by the band, and for the first time in the bands history, Harlen taking lead harsh vocals to voice his story. This track is the entirety of side A on the vinyl release.
The second track Dodz Bringare is based off the character by of the same name, featured in the Journey Through the Dying Lands anthology story Screams of the Necropolis, and the stand alone book Whispers of the Dead Saint by John Baltisberger. John Baltisberger also runs Madness Hearts Games and put the anthology book together.
The third track, titled Hagfish Dinner, is also a retelling of the matching Journey anthology story, written by Ian SerVaas. This track is played on an acoustic baritone guitar featuring heavily layered haunting clean vocals.
The final two tracks on the album are live recordings of the bands tracks Stuck in the Muck and Barbaria released previously on their 2021 full length album Miasmic Purple Smoke, recorded in front of a live audience of nerds at their local game store, Epic Tabletop Hobbies out of Grand Haven, Michigan.
Journey Through the Dying Lands is available for preorder on Vinyl and CD, as well as digitally through Bandcamp.
Album art by Simone Tammetta
Mixed and mastered by Harlen Linke
Live recordings by Zach Crouse
https://www.facebook.com/BogWizardBand/
https://twitter.com/bogwizardband/
https://www.instagram.com/bogwizardband/
https://bogwizard.bandcamp.com/
https://bogwizard.bigcartel.com/
