Album Review: Celestial Wizard – Winds of the Cosmos

Nostalgic, melodic and cinematic

Celestial Wizard’s most recent album Winds of the Cosmos is an exciting ride for any music thrill seeker. This album possesses notes of classic ‘80s synthesizers and retro electronic riffs that are reminiscent of arcade games. Fans looking for an album that mixes modern heavy metal with a hint of ‘80s nostalgia will be head over heels for this record. In addition to the retro sounding synthesizers, the music overall possesses strong superhero vibes. The tension builds throughout the album making it sound like one big action sequence.

The opening track of the album hooks the listener in with its unexpected classic synthesizers. The whole first track consists of nothing but a 2-minute-long guitar solo accompanied by drilling drum beats. The album is very thoughtfully organized with the way each track seamlessly transitions into the next making the whole album sound like one epic song. Overtime you do feel as though you are flying through the cosmos with each song practically melting into the next. The guitar’s ascending melodic leaps help build the tension and lead the album toward the final act perfectly. Each song sounds as though it was written for the “final stand” scene of a superhero film or videogame.

The vocals in this album are nicely balanced along with the guitar. The vocalist, Nick Daggers, mixes melodic vocals with a heavy metal scream throughout each track. Daggers also incorporates whispers into the songs which are a chilling contrast to his way of snarling the majority of the lyrics. The guitar on this album also follows this same pattern very interestingly switching from electric guitar to the more soothing and relaxed acoustic guitar. This balance of styles and mixture of instruments keep the overall sound of the album from overpowering the listener.

The final track of the album “Winds of the Cosmos” serves as the most epic finale that any heavy metal fan could hope for. We hear a more epic, complete version of the opening melody heard at the beginning of the album that finally resolves. This track brings the album full circle to the end. This is an excellent decision by the band as now the listener will be familiar with this melody and instantly snap at attention to its intro. This cinematic finale of the album will leave its audience longing for Celestial Wizard’s next release.