Ramprasad is the brainchild of two collaborators from Portland, OR: Aaron D.C. Edge and David Fylstra, who wrote and performed all of the music on this debut album. They’ve since added two other members to round out the live unit. What they’ve created falls a bit under the sonic thundering of bands like Neurosis, the Melvins, Yob and Boris. There’s a lot of metallic scraping, tons of dark atmosphere, and plenty of crushing riffs.
You should know, getting into this right away, the album is entirely instrumental. If you want vocals you’re going to have to look elsewhere. While this may dissuade some, those that are into this will find a new band to love. This is brooding and meditative, while at the same time rocking. It’s best to listen to the record as a whole, from front to back, rather than take out individual songs to highlight. The ebb and flow of the sonic textures really work at their finest if the entire thing is taken in at once. That said, here are some highlights:
“Baric” is wide open and full of dark spaces, breathing and building, layers laid upon layers. It gradually lifts itself until about four minutes in when the riffs really start chugging and the melodic noodling comes together with the smashing drums to drag you through the sludge, bloodied but smiling.
“Westing Pt. 1” and “Westing Pt. 2” are the biggest moments for the Wizard. These two form a defining moment for this band, extolling all they are great at. Pt. 1 rolls like giant waves on the sea, rocking you back and forth, the stutter-stop of some of the riffs blending into a soupy mire of bludgeoning that leads right into Pt. 2, in which the rolling ocean becomes a swirling whirlpool that sucks you under. They drown you in the riffs. You can almost feel the hot room this was recorded in and the sweat dripping off the hands hammering out these riffs. Atmospheric and yet still brutal.
Closer “Dust Burner” starts out like a muscle car peeling its tires and races along, glass muffler blasting. It plays almost as a speedy escape from horrid suburban decay, until about three minutes in, when everything changes, shifting into the languid and dreamy. The car is out of the city and is now cruising through beautiful countryside. Don’t worry, though, those riffs come back, combined now with those gorgeous melodies that brings the whole work to a screeching halt.
If you like instrumental, sludgy, industrial, dark music, you’ll love this. The fan appeal is pretty narrow, granted, but give it a try if you’re curious. This is a band that would fit nicely into an opening slot for someone like Yob or Converge, perfectly complimenting the headliner, drawing listeners in, and selling more than a few records after their performance. This is an album all about shifting headspaces that never forgets the heart. Riffs, sludge, darkness…what more could a listener of metal ask for?
Three Wands out of Five
The Wizard Has Spoken!