Fooz - Fooz
Custom Heavy Records - 2001
By Mark Bridgeman
/images/covers/fooz_cover.jpg
Like a UFO coming in to lay the shit down, Fooz's self-titled release kicks into 'Earthwind' with a mid-tempo slice of Tea Party-esque brilliance. I like these guys already. With influences ranging from Pink Floyd and Hawkwind to Captain Beefheart, it shouldn't be surprising that these Spanish boys manage to produce inventive, dynamic rock while keeping their stomping feet on the ground.
'Alone You Stand' covers familiar fuzz rock ground, with drummer Pablo Banon varo and bassist Andres Lizon Arias holding down a solid rythym while Luri and Gomez on guitars lay a thick wall of sound down on top. Not the most spectacular of tunes, but it still rocks like a bastard. 'Clouds Of Words' picks it all up and turns it on its head again, a swirling dirvish of riffs, what sounds like a hammond-ised guitar buzzing in me left ear, and those drums rolling around, pushing everything forward. Ignacio Fuentes Luri really needs to be commended on his vox - he ain't no power metal screamer, or a mono-stoned crooner; his vox are clean and lift the music up a few extra notches.
'Smoke's Over' is an acoustic piece of rock magic sounding like it was ripped from the 70s, slapped across the face with some modern sensibilites, and told to do its thing. Any listeners who may've thought to pigeonhole Fooz as a typical fuzz-rawk band before this track will (or should) change their minds. It helps break the pattern of the album, and that's a good thing, 'cos the next track, 'Cool Guys', is head on into distorted groove rock country. If that's your thing, you'll love it as I do. If not, do not despair dear reader! Because 'Mine', which follows, is a soothing, acoustic, vocally-mixed track of 60-ish triprock (if that makes any sense). This demonstrates the middle eastern feel clearly, which had been evident only slightly earlier (hence the Tea Party reference, for those of you who missed it). A fed-back'd guitar swirling over tribal drums and a strumming acoustic had me swaying... man.
Not exactly my cup of tea, but I've always preferred music with a bit more pepper.
'High Fooz' is more like it. Still low on the speed-o-meter, this is fine songwriting, and a tune where the entire band shines through. Juan Angel Gomez Beneyto's leads are gorgeous (in a rockin' kinda way), while Arias' bass, while sitting in the background, adds textures that count towards everything. My initial thought was 'imagine Sabbath crossed with Jeff Buckley', but what the fuck do I know?
'Mixhole Masterdoom', the final track, mixes it all up again and ends the album with a boot up the bum. Good, hard, heavy rock the way it's meant to be. There are three other tracks on the album not mentioned on the bio sheet (or anywhere else I can see), but hopefully they will make it to the final pressing, not just this unmastered promo. But just in case they don't, I'll only say they match anything else on the disc.
Fooz deserve to be heard. Fooz know how to rock without muddying everything with everpresent fuzz. Fooz are good. 'Come taste the Fooz' indeed.
Custom Heavy Records - 2001
By Mark Bridgeman
/images/covers/fooz_cover.jpg
Like a UFO coming in to lay the shit down, Fooz's self-titled release kicks into 'Earthwind' with a mid-tempo slice of Tea Party-esque brilliance. I like these guys already. With influences ranging from Pink Floyd and Hawkwind to Captain Beefheart, it shouldn't be surprising that these Spanish boys manage to produce inventive, dynamic rock while keeping their stomping feet on the ground.
'Alone You Stand' covers familiar fuzz rock ground, with drummer Pablo Banon varo and bassist Andres Lizon Arias holding down a solid rythym while Luri and Gomez on guitars lay a thick wall of sound down on top. Not the most spectacular of tunes, but it still rocks like a bastard. 'Clouds Of Words' picks it all up and turns it on its head again, a swirling dirvish of riffs, what sounds like a hammond-ised guitar buzzing in me left ear, and those drums rolling around, pushing everything forward. Ignacio Fuentes Luri really needs to be commended on his vox - he ain't no power metal screamer, or a mono-stoned crooner; his vox are clean and lift the music up a few extra notches.
'Smoke's Over' is an acoustic piece of rock magic sounding like it was ripped from the 70s, slapped across the face with some modern sensibilites, and told to do its thing. Any listeners who may've thought to pigeonhole Fooz as a typical fuzz-rawk band before this track will (or should) change their minds. It helps break the pattern of the album, and that's a good thing, 'cos the next track, 'Cool Guys', is head on into distorted groove rock country. If that's your thing, you'll love it as I do. If not, do not despair dear reader! Because 'Mine', which follows, is a soothing, acoustic, vocally-mixed track of 60-ish triprock (if that makes any sense). This demonstrates the middle eastern feel clearly, which had been evident only slightly earlier (hence the Tea Party reference, for those of you who missed it). A fed-back'd guitar swirling over tribal drums and a strumming acoustic had me swaying... man.
Not exactly my cup of tea, but I've always preferred music with a bit more pepper.
'High Fooz' is more like it. Still low on the speed-o-meter, this is fine songwriting, and a tune where the entire band shines through. Juan Angel Gomez Beneyto's leads are gorgeous (in a rockin' kinda way), while Arias' bass, while sitting in the background, adds textures that count towards everything. My initial thought was 'imagine Sabbath crossed with Jeff Buckley', but what the fuck do I know?
'Mixhole Masterdoom', the final track, mixes it all up again and ends the album with a boot up the bum. Good, hard, heavy rock the way it's meant to be. There are three other tracks on the album not mentioned on the bio sheet (or anywhere else I can see), but hopefully they will make it to the final pressing, not just this unmastered promo. But just in case they don't, I'll only say they match anything else on the disc.
Fooz deserve to be heard. Fooz know how to rock without muddying everything with everpresent fuzz. Fooz are good. 'Come taste the Fooz' indeed.
