DARK WIZARD - VROOMSHOOP (OVERIJSSEL)

BIOGRAPHY: Dark Wizard was called a Black Metal band in their days. No, they didn’t sound like Venom or Slayer. They played Heavy Metal with lots of melodies. But Dark Wizard was called
black metal because they were singing about Satan and had a Horror image. The band built up quite a reputation because of this Horror Show. It contained monsters who were called Mr Nice and Dr Doom who came out of coffins on stage. Next to that the band used a lot of fire and bombs on stage as well. You can imagine that a Dark Wizard show was quite an experience. Musically the band released 4 demo’s before something on vinyl was released. Their 1st demo showed the fans what Dark Wizard was all about. Well made Heavy Metal with really great bass playing from Kees Reinders. Demo 2 is a live demo which captured a bit of their live energy although releasing a video perhaps would be a better idea knowing their show on stage. Anyway the tracks, ‘Scared’, ‘Zombie’, ‘Poisened Whiskey’, ‘Revelation’, ‘Dark Master of Thunder’, ‘Bloodlust’, ‘Paradise’ and ‘Concrete Way’ are great songs, but it’s played a bit too messy and untight. The guitar solo from Hans Pol is mixed in to fill up the gaps it seems. On their 3rd  3-track demo it’s clear the band was getting better and better. The demo opens with ‘Dark Wizard’ including a great solo from Hans Pol it. ‘Paradise’ is a bit faster, and last song ‘Atomic’ is more of a mid tempo song. All great, typical Dark Wizard songs. In the same year, ’83, the band released the ‘Only a Coffin’ demo, the demo which took the band a huge step up the ladder. Mausoleum got interested and signed the band. And that results their first vinyl release; in ’84 the Mini LP ‘Devil’s Victim’ is released. It was in fact the Only the Coffin demo plus one new song, ‘Big Typhoon’. Then, at the end of ’84 guitarist Hans Pol got replaced by George Gomies. Mausoleum offered the band to make a full length LP this time. With Marcel de Groot replacing George Gomies the band moves in the studio and records the ‘Reign of Evil’ album and released it in ’85. A great album with lots of great songs on it like ‘Mortal Agony’ and ‘Death Struggle Thriller’, but a highlight for many fans is ‘Evil Spirit’, a dark Black Sabbath style song which showed the band from its darkest side. Again, the great bass playing from Kees is an absolute highlight. The album gets good reviews, but nothing more seems to happen. They got in trouble with Mausoleum (like many other bands) and the new search for a label starts. Unfortunately without success. The band still writes new songs which they play live. A song like ‘Damned to the Eternal Torture’, written in ’86, is a absolute great song, especially if you like galloping Heavy Metal!! But the band doesn’t get the chance to record and release it. At the end of the 80s the band quits. Mausoleum records released a CD version of ‘Reign of Evil’ in '91 as part of their Classics series. In 2004 the song ‘Mortal Agony’ appears on the HM Maniacs vol.3 compilation and Mausoleum have plans to release a new CD release of the Dark Wizard stuff again. We let you know if there is a release date confirmed. After Dark Wizard the guys moved on and played in several bands (mostly cover bands). Singer Berto van Veen went from ‘Hell to Heaven’ and joined the notorious Griffioen cult, a fanatic group of Christians with a guru as leader. So you understand a reunion is out of the question, although former Jagannath singer Egbert Berents, a Dark Wizard fan himself, offered the other members to do a reunion with him as singer in 2005. Sadly they declined it...

(Stefan)

MEMBERS:

Berto van Veen – vocals
Hans Pol – guitars
Marcel de Groot – guitars
George Gomies – guitars (other band: Stramp Free)
Kees Reinders – bass
Tony White - drums

DISCOGRAPHY:

19? Demo1
1983 Live Demo
1983 3-track demo
1983 Only a Coffin (demo)
1983 When the Hammer Comes Down compilation tape with track: ‘Poisened Whiskey’
1984 Devil’s Victim (MLP)
1985 Reign of Evil (LP)
1991 Reign of Evil (CD)
2004 Heavy Metal Maniacs pt. 3 (Compilation CD - Track: Mortal Agony)

MEMORABILIA:


The Dark Wizards


Line-up pictures

Collection of Dark Wizard live pictures