Our top ten White Wizzard songs list looks at a heavy metal band who were formed in Los Angeles in 2007. With their old-school style, they have stated that they formed as a response to the modern sound that was dominating the metal scene. In 2008 they released their self-titled demo and also produced a video that won an award at a local film festival. Despite getting off to relatively good start, inner tension within the band led to three members quitting and forming a similar band called Holy Grail.
For a short time, it seemed like White Wizzard was over until bassist Jon Leon was contacted by British label Earache Records to include one of their songs on a compilation. This motivated him to form a new incarnation of the band. They released their full length debut album in 2010 which was titled Over the Top which received positive reviews from critics. They soon embarked on several successful tours and got nominated in 2010 for best new band by British magazine Metal Hammer. 2011 saw the release of their second album Flying Tigers. In 2012, they got a new vocalist called Joseph Michael who is the cousin of metal god Ronnie James Dio.
After the release of third album The Devils Cut in 2013, Leon fired Michael from the band. Over the next couple of years, they would release a couple of singles before they finally released their fourth album Infernal Overdrive in 2018. That same year, Jon Leon who was now the only remaining original member, announced that he was ending the band. However, a year later in 2019 he announced that he was reforming White Wizzard with past members. In 2021 they released a new single titled “Viral Insanity.”
White Wizzard are a band who have had a lot of line-up changes during their existence with Jon Leon being the only constant member. They are known for their traditional metal style which draws heavily from the classic bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest. Here is a list of their ten best songs.
# 10 – Viral Insanity
Kicking off our top ten White Wizzard songs list is the band’s comeback single after their brief split which was released this year in 2021. Featuring new vocalist Mark Boals, this song is a reflection of the times that we have been living in with the pandemic. It is a very good and strong song that proves that White Wizzard still have a lot to offer.
# 9 – High Speed GTO
Next up we go all the way back to the beginning of the band’s career with this song which is the title track of their debut ep released in 2009. This ep is exactly the same as their demo but with a different cover and one renamed track. They filmed a music video for this track which won an award at the 2008 Action on Film awards for Best Music Video.
# 8 – Infernal Overdrive
This next entry is the opening track and title song of the band’s fourth album released in 2018. This was their final album before they temporarily disbanded. The album was met with a positive critical reception, with several critics calling it an improvement over their previous album The Devils Cut, which many felt was recorded to quickly.
# 7 – The Illusions Tears
Next on the list we have the closing song from the fourth record which, at eleven minutes long is a true heavy metal epic and a brilliant album closer. This track is very clearly influenced by Rush and it particularly resembles something that would be found on their Caress of Steel album. It is a very well-played song that has several different directions that it goes in, alternating between heavy and melodic, with a very progressive -sounding middle section.
# 6 – The Devil’s Cut
Ending the first half of this list we have the title track of the band’s third album released in 2013. This is a very hard hitting track that has elements of thrash in addition the usual traditional heavy metal sound, it particularly is rather reminiscent of Megadeth in several parts. It has one of the most catchy sounding riffs on the record.
5- Strike the Iron
Kicking off the second half of this list we have another track from the third record that is the first proper track on the album after the intro. This song had its own music video produced for it. It is a very strong album opener with its very Iron Maiden-esque riff and Joseph Michael’s very powerful vocals that definitely resemble his cousin Ronnie James Dio.
# 4 – Flying Tigers
Here we have the title track of the band’s second album released in 2011. This was the final album to feature vocalist Wyatt Anderson. This is a track on the first half of the album, which is more straightforward metal in nature, whereas the second half of it is more progressive. This is another track that is very Iron Maiden-esque and almost sounds like it was recorded in the 1980’s.
# 3 – Blood on the Pyramids
At number three is this track that is also taken from the third album that is from the more progressive sounding second half, even though it is the shortest song of the last six on the record at three minutes in length. Along with the five tracks surrounding it, it shares a lyrical concept that binds all of the six songs together.
# 2 – Over the Top
Just off the top spot is the title track and opener of the band’s first album released in 2010. It was released on British label Earache Records who were initially known for releasing music primarily from more extreme metal bands. A music video for this song was made which saw the band facing off in a snowy town with a “Jazz Wizard.”
# 1 – White Wizzard
Topping our White Wizzard songs we have the closing track of the first record which is the band’s title track. Like most of the songs in this band’s discography, the sound here is very much eighties-style metal. Whilst White Wizzard are not a band who are reinventing the wheel by any stretch of the imagination, they are very good at replicating the sound of an era of music that they clearly love and it certainly makes for an enjoyable listening experience. The limited edition of this album came with two bonus tracks which were both covers of bands that were massive influences on White Wizzard with those bands being Cloven Hoff and Judas Priest.
Top 10 White Wizzard Songs article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2021
Classicrockhistory.com claims ownership of all its original content and Intellectual property under United States Copyright laws and those of all other foreign countries. No one person, business or any organizations is allowed to republish any of our original content anywhere on the web or in print without our permission.