WIZARD TATTOO RELEASES NEW PROGRESSIVE BLACKENED DOOM ODYSSEY WHEN GODS HAD HANDS

Indianapolis One-Man Doom Project Delivers an Ambitious Journey Through Forbidden Knowledge, Fallen Angels, and Humanity’s Pursuit of New Gods

Indianapolis, IN – The wait is over. Wizard Tattoo has officially unleashed When Gods Had Hands, the latest full-length release from Indianapolis multi-instrumentalist Bram the Bard, available now through Garage Fire Recordings.

Listen and purchase:

https://wizardtattoo.bandcamp.com

A sprawling eight-track progressive blackened doom concept album, When Gods Had Hands explores the ancient mythology of forbidden knowledge while drawing unsettling parallels between the fall of the Watchers in the Book of Enoch and humanity’s modern pursuit of artificial intelligence, technological transcendence, and self-made gods.

For fans of Venom, Woe, and early Anathema, Wizard Tattoo delivers an immersive experience that blends crushing doom riffs, blackened aggression, progressive songwriting, industrial textures, cinematic atmosphere, and haunting philosophical storytelling. The result is an album that challenges both genre conventions and listeners alike.

The concept was developed alongside longtime collaborator Fausto Aurelius, whose narrative, spoken word passages, and commanding vocal performances serve as the voice of prophecy throughout the record. His contributions transform the album into more than a collection of songs, creating a cohesive myth that bridges ancient scripture with modern anxieties.

Meanwhile, Bram the Bard once again handled every aspect of the music, performing all instruments while recording, mixing, mastering, and illustrating the album himself. The fully independent production reflects Wizard Tattoo’s uncompromising creative vision, weaving together doom metal, black metal, progressive experimentation, industrial influences, vintage film samples, and Middle Eastern-inspired textures into a singular sonic experience.

At its core, When Gods Had Hands examines humanity’s endless cycle of reaching beyond its limits. Once, the Watchers descended to offer forbidden gifts of fire, metallurgy, and warfare. Today, mankind continues that pursuit by creating intelligence in its own image, chasing transcendence while risking the consequences of its own ambition.

The fall continues.

Only the name of the sky changes.

Bram the Bard comments:

“After Living Just for Dying I wanted a real departure, to lean all the way into the blackened side for a whole album, the way I first did on ‘Tomorrow Never Dies.’ The influences run wide, classical, industrial, 90s alternative, and the whole thing took a year to conceptualize and come together. It’s the furthest I’ve pushed Wizard Tattoo.”

Fausto Aurelius adds:

“This started as an attempt to make something different. Not black metal, not doom, not progressive, but something else entirely. The concept sent me back into dark industrial and black metal, and into religion and philosophy, trying to understand what’s happening to the culture of humanity. I’m proud of this contribution to the myth of Wizard Tattoo.”

Since debuting with the self-titled Wizard Tattoo EP in 2022, Bram the Bard has steadily expanded the project’s dark and interconnected musical universe through acclaimed releases including Fables of the Damned, Living Just for Dying, and One of These Knives. Along the way, the project has earned praise from respected underground outlets including Ghost Cult, The Obelisk, Doomed & Stoned, MetalBite, Ever Metal, and others for its fearless approach to modern doom metal.

With When Gods Had Hands, Wizard Tattoo delivers its most ambitious and fully realized work to date. Equal parts crushing, atmospheric, philosophical, and cinematic, the album stands as both a warning and a meditation on humanity’s eternal desire to create, conquer, and ultimately become its own gods.

When Gods Had Hands

Artist: Wizard Tattoo

Available Now

Label: Garage Fire Recordings

Genre: Progressive Blackened Doom

Listen & Purchase:

https://wizardtattoo.bandcamp.com

Credits

Bram the Bard

Music, Instruments, Recording, Mixing, Mastering, Artwork

Fausto Aurelius

Concept, Narrative, Vocals, Spoken Word, Essay