When you look up some of the UK’s heaviest and most influential metal bands, somewhere in that list – nestled alongside the likes of Black Sabbath and Napalm Death – you will likely see the name Electric Wizard. Spat out of Dorset in the mid-90s to a backdrop of biker culture, beer, booze, 1970s exploitation movies and the occult, Electric Wizard carved out a massive void for themselves, in a world of heavy metal that was rapidly turning towards tracksuits and hip-hop culture.
Author Dan Franklin has bravely ventured into the previously unexplored world of the Wizard, to uncover what made this force of nature tick. In an endless world of booze, pills and psychedelics, Come My Fanatics follows a band that threatens to come off the tracks at any given opportunity, whilst still maintaining a steady flow of noteworthy album releases.
So much more than your usual rock band biography, Come My Fanatics is a trip through the life and times of a band whose beliefs and lifestyle go way beyond mere music. Electric Wizard are a subculture all of their own.
Come My Fanatics: A Journey Into The World Of Electric Wizard, Dan Franklin (White Rabbit)
Price: £30. Info: here
words CHRIS ANDREWS