We Live
We Live is the fifth studio album by the English stoner/doom metal band Electric Wizard, released on 28 June 2004 through Rise Above Records.[1] It represents the band's first recording with a new lineup following the departure of bassist Tim Bagshaw and drummer Mark Greening in 2002, featuring Jus Oborn on vocals and guitar, Liz Buckingham on guitar, Rob Al-Issa on bass, and Justin Greaves on drums.[2] Recorded in July 2003 at Chuckalumba Studios, the album consists of six tracks with a total runtime of approximately 55 minutes, blending heavy riffs, occult-themed lyrics, and psychedelic elements characteristic of the band's sound.[3] The album's production marked a shift toward a cleaner, more streamlined guitar tone compared to the sludge-heavy style of prior works like Dopethrone (2000), while retaining Electric Wizard's signature doom-laden atmosphere and influences from Black Sabbath and horror film soundtracks.[4] Key tracks include the 10-minute opener "Eko Eko Azarak," which evokes ritualistic incantations, and the title track "We Live," noted for its apocalyptic themes and driving rhythm.[1] We Live received positive reception for revitalizing the band post-lineup changes, solidifying their status in the underground metal scene, and has been praised for its songwriting and atmospheric depth.[5]Background and recording
Band context
Electric Wizard was formed in 1993 in Dorset, England, by Jus Oborn, who had previously been involved in the short-lived doom metal projects Lord of Putrefaction and Thy Grief Eternal.[6] These precursor bands, active in the late 1980s and early 1990s, laid the groundwork for Oborn's exploration of heavy, atmospheric metal sounds influenced by Black Sabbath and early doom pioneers.[7] The band's original lineup was a power trio consisting of Oborn on guitar and vocals, Tim Bagshaw on bass, and Mark Greening on drums.[8] They released their self-titled debut album in 1995 through Rise Above Records, followed by the EP Supercoven in 1997, which began to refine their dense, psychedelic doom style.[9] These early releases established Electric Wizard within the burgeoning UK underground metal scene, though they remained largely confined to niche audiences.[8] The band's breakthrough came with the 2000 album Dopethrone, which solidified their reputation as leaders in the stoner/doom metal genre through its sludgy riffs and occult-themed heaviness.[8] Dopethrone garnered critical acclaim and a dedicated cult following, particularly in the UK stoner and doom communities, but did not achieve mainstream commercial success.[10] In 2003, following the tour for their 2002 album Let Us Prey, Bagshaw and Greening departed the band to form Ramesses, leaving Oborn as the sole original member.[11] This split marked a significant transition, ushering in what became known as the "Electric Wizard II" era.[2] Oborn recruited guitarist Liz Buckingham, formerly of the sludge/doom bands 13 and Sourvein, bassist Rob Al-Issa, and drummer Justin Greaves from Iron Monkey to complete the new lineup for We Live.[12] By this point, Electric Wizard had cultivated a strong cult status in the UK stoner/doom scene, revered for their uncompromising heaviness and thematic depth, yet still operating without broader commercial breakthrough.Recording process
The recording sessions for We Live took place in July 2003 at Chuckalumba Studios in the New Forest, Hampshire, England.[1] The album was produced by frontman Jus Oborn and engineered by John Stephens.[2] These sessions represented the debut recording for the band's revamped lineup, incorporating second guitarist Liz Buckingham alongside Oborn, bassist Rob Al-Issa, and drummer Justin Greaves, following the 2002 departure of original members Tim Bagshaw and Mark Greening.[3] The production incorporated layered guitar overdubs to highlight the new dual-guitar dynamic, contributing to the album's thick, sludgy doom texture while preserving an emphasis on live performance energy.[14] Mixing was completed by Mathieus Schneeberger in September 2003, with the sessions focused on balancing the expanded guitar elements.[1] Mastering occurred at Turan Audio, yielding a six-track CD edition with a total runtime of 54:59.[1]Music and lyrics
Musical style
We Live is classified as stoner/doom metal, incorporating psychedelic and sludge influences, characterized by slower tempos compared to the band's earlier releases, with an average track length of approximately nine minutes across its six songs.[3][4][5] The album's sonic palette features dual guitar riffing from Jus Oborn and Liz Buckingham, drenched in heavy fuzz distortion, alongside down-tuned bass lines and pounding drum patterns that coalesce into a dense wall-of-sound texture.[15][4][16] This work represents an evolution from prior albums like Dopethrone, presenting a less raw and more structured approach with melodic leads introduced by Buckingham, while nodding to 1970s heavy rock through Black Sabbath-inspired riffs.[4][16][5] Instrumentally, Oborn's detuned guitars establish an atmospheric foundation, complemented by Justin Greaves' primal drumming that drives the rhythms with forceful accents, and Rob Al-Issa's bass providing a robust low-end anchor.[14][16][15] The album's structure unfolds over six tracks totaling 55:41, progressing from ominous intros to climactic peaks that build tension through layered riffing and dynamic shifts.[5][14]Themes and inspiration
The album We Live delves into themes of occult rituals, undead resurrection, societal decay, and psychedelic horror, drawing heavily from the band's longstanding fascination with countercultural elements and the macabre. The opening track "Eko Eko Azarak," divided into "Invocation" and "Ritual," evokes ancient pagan chants and witchcraft ceremonies, with lyrics summoning horned gods and cosmic entities predating earthly existence, reflecting a ritualistic call to otherworldly powers.[17] This sets a tone of apocalyptic invocation, progressing through the record to explore resurrection and damnation, as seen in the title track's imagery of fists cracking the earth and coffin wombs birthing the undead, portraying a vengeful uprising against a betraying society.[18] Inspirations from 1970s and later horror cinema permeate the lyrical content, infusing the album with a filmic narrative of cultish horror and existential dread. The track "Eko Eko Azarak" directly references the 1995 Japanese horror film Eko Eko Azarak: Wizard of Darkness, the first in a series featuring a young witch combating supernatural evil, mirroring the song's themes of magical summoning and occult conflict.[17] Similarly, "We Live" samples dialogue from the 1973 British cult film Psychomania, about a motorcycle gang achieving immortality through satanic pacts and resurrection, aligning with lyrics of the undead rejecting mortality to exact revenge on the living.[19] "Flower of Evil (a.k.a. Malfiore)" evokes themes of corruption and decayed beauty through its bilingual title—with "Malfiore" meaning "evil flower" in Italian—and hazy, menacing atmosphere.[20] These cinematic nods unify the album's horror-obsessed worldview, blending ritualistic psychedelia with visions of societal collapse. Jus Oborn's growled vocals deliver these themes through dense, apocalyptic imagery laced with references to witchcraft, hallucinogenic descent, and inevitable doom, creating a narrative arc from ritualistic beginnings in "Eko Eko Azarak" to eternal damnation in closing track "The Chosen Few." This progression underscores a countercultural rejection of modern life, amplified by the band's immersion in horror aesthetics. The inclusion of guitarist Liz Buckingham brought melodic leads and added intensity to the sound, complementing the thematic immersion.[12]Release and formats
Initial release
We Live was initially released on June 28, 2004, in Europe through Rise Above Records and in the United States via The Music Cartel.[21][1][22] The album's artwork, credited to Tony R., features a swampy green color scheme dominated by occult imagery, including a smoke-blowing Cerberus-like goat figure that evokes the aesthetic of classic horror film posters.[1][15] It was packaged in a standard CD jewel case accompanied by a multi-panel booklet containing liner notes and credits, with the band credited as "The Electric Wizard" on the cover and "Electric Wizard II" inside.[1][21] Promotion for the album was modest, consisting of limited touring in the UK and Europe in 2005 following the band's previous effort Dopethrone, along with interviews that highlighted the new lineup featuring guitarist Liz Buckingham.[23][12] No major singles or music videos were produced to support the release.[2] Commercially, We Live achieved underground success within the niche doom and stoner metal markets but did not enter any major charts, reflecting the band's cult following at the time.[2][15]Reissues and editions
Following its original release, We Live has been reissued multiple times, primarily by Rise Above Records and associated labels, in formats including CD, vinyl, and digital, often with remastering or limited variants to cater to collectors.[1] The 2006 reissue by Rise Above Records featured a CD edition in digipak packaging with a bonus track, "The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue" (4:58), an instrumental tribute to horror cinema, expanding the total runtime to 59:57. This edition was remastered for enhanced clarity. The accompanying vinyl version was a limited double LP (RISELP48X) in gatefold sleeve, bundled with a single-sided 7" featuring the bonus track and limited to fewer than 1,000 copies across green and standard variants.[24][25][26] In 2007, Candlelight Records issued a US-specific CD reissue (CDL398) in digipak format, also remastered to emphasize the album's dense, psychedelic doom sound.[1] Vinyl represses proliferated in the 2010s through Rise Above and distributors like Spinefarm and Candlelight, including the 2014 third pressing (RISELP48), a double LP limited to 500 solid gold, 100 crystal clear, 500 solid purple, 500 solid black, 500 transparent green/clear/black mixed, and 200 gold/purple mixed color variants, totaling around 2,300 units. These editions retained extended mixes from the original vinyl, resulting in a 76:11 runtime.[1] A 2017 Rise Above reissue appeared as a standard CD (RISECD075) for US and European markets, while the label's 2021 fourth vinyl pressing (RISELP48) offered 1,100 copies on purple sparkle double LP with gatefold sleeve and further remastering for a warmer, more analog tone. By 2025, the album had seen approximately five major reissue variants, with no further major reissues, alongside digital streaming availability since 2012 on platforms like Spotify.[27][28][1] Early limited pressings, especially colored vinyls, have gained collectibility amid Electric Wizard's rising cult status in stoner doom metal, with mint copies fetching $50–$200 on secondary markets.Critical reception
Contemporary reviews
Upon its release in 2004, We Live garnered mostly positive contemporary reviews, with critics appreciating the band's renewed energy following the lineup changes while viewing it as a solid continuation of their doom metal style rather than a groundbreaking effort. Eduardo Rivadavia of AllMusic commended the new lineup including guitarist Liz Buckingham, noting it marked a revitalization after the departure of key members, though the album was seen as evolving their established sound.[3] A 2004 interview in Prefix Magazine featured Jus Oborn discussing the refreshed lineup, including Buckingham's addition, which brought fresh dynamics to the band.[29] The Metal Crypt rated the album 3 out of 5, describing it as a decent and reliable entry in the band's discography, an improvement over prior works but critiqued for being too slow at times.[5]Retrospective assessments
In the 2010s, We Live received renewed attention as a pivotal work in Electric Wizard's evolution, particularly for introducing guitarist Liz Buckingham and signaling a shift toward more experimental doom structures. A 2018 guide in Vice described the album, alongside 2002's Let Us Prey, as "worthy of reappraisal," highlighting Buckingham's debut and the enhanced guitar interplay with Jus Oborn on tracks like "Eko Eko Azarak," which exemplified the band's post-Dopethrone exploration of hypnotic, layered riffing.[20] A 2020 revisit by CVLT Nation further solidified its status as an underrated gem within stoner and doom metal, praising its satisfyingly heavy, dramatic, and sinister tone while noting how its cluttered, complex arrangements—marked by Buckingham's creepier, more melodic contributions—refined into the band's later, more cohesive sound. The review critiqued the album's occasional lack of cohesion, likening it to a "first record" in feel despite its ambition, but ultimately celebrated improved songwriting on cuts like "Another Perfect Day" and "Flower of Evil" as harbingers of Electric Wizard's enduring heaviness.[16] Within the band's discography, We Live is often viewed as a crucial bridge between the raw, sludge-heavy intensity of 2000's Dopethrone and the polished occult menace of 2010's Black Masses, with its dual-guitar dynamics and atmospheric experimentation helping to sustain momentum after the original lineup's split. User reviews on Encyclopaedia Metallum emphasize this transitional role, crediting the album's injection of new energy from Buckingham and other members for revitalizing Oborn's vision amid lineup instability.[14] The album's influence extends to subsequent dual-guitar doom acts, inspiring bands that adopted similar riff-heavy, psychedelic approaches to horror-infused heaviness, as seen in the genre's broader evolution. Recent discussions around its 20th anniversary in 2024 underscored We Live's role in reviving horror-themed elements in doom metal, with references to obscure Italian and Japanese horror films in its lyrics and the pervasive sense of dread evoking classic cinematic terror that permeates the subgenre today.[30] Modern aggregations rate We Live at 88% on Encyclopaedia Metallum, where it is lauded for its atmospheric depth and immersive doom but critiqued for inconsistencies in pacing and execution across its tracks.[2]Track listing and credits
Standard edition
The standard edition of We Live, released on CD in 2004 by Rise Above Records, contains six tracks with a total runtime of 55:41.[2]| No. | Title | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Eko Eko Azarak" (I. "Invocation" / II. "Ritual") | 10:48 |
| 2. | "We Live" | 7:47 |
| 3. | "Flower of Evil" (a.k.a. "Malfiore") | 7:29 |
| 4. | "Another Perfect Day?" | 8:04 |
| 5. | "The Sun Has Turned to Black" | 6:25 |
| 6. | "Saturn's Children" | 15:08 |
| Total length: | 55:41 |
2006 reissue
The 2006 remastered CD reissue adds one bonus track, extending the total runtime to 60:39.[2]| No. | Title | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 7. | "The Living Dead at Manchester Morgue" | 4:58 |