California Crossing
Fu Manchu
Mammoth
California Crossing
In the ever-evolving world of rock one sound has remained constant, weaving in and out of fashion with no regard for current trends, bludgeoning all others aside with gigantic riffs. Deemed "stoner rock" over the past few years, it's the sweaty male preserve of testosterone-fuelled guitars and macho posturing harking back to the Neanderthal '70s. But amidst the deeply un-sexy, doom-laden likes of Brit sludgemeisters Cathedral and co., a whole host of care-free Americans have upped the ante and made stoner rock cool. And near the top of that tree are Fu Manchu, whose monolithic sound has enough twists and turns to get indie boys interested and keep the metal massive slavering. From the first blast of opener 'Separate Kingdom', there's no denying the urge to get your motor running and head out on the highway, while 'California Crossing' itself demonstrates a pedal to the metal verve that aligns them with the Motorhead-loving, Harley Davidson-worshipping likes of biker rock. But even though there's little of the OTT glory of Monster Magnet or the hyper-cool sensibilities of QOTSA, there is a sufficiently twisted vibe that makes 'Mongoose' and 'Bultaco' reminiscent of the Pixies jamming with Black Sabbath. Fu Manchu may change their members more often than they change their socks, but there's no denying the consistent nature of their turbo-charged roar, replete with a punkoid energy and garage-load of hooks and melodies. It may not be quite as fab as their seminal opus 'The Action Is Go', but 'California Crossing' proves Fu Manchu are gonna be grooving for years to come.
William Luff
Fu Manchu
Mammoth
California Crossing
In the ever-evolving world of rock one sound has remained constant, weaving in and out of fashion with no regard for current trends, bludgeoning all others aside with gigantic riffs. Deemed "stoner rock" over the past few years, it's the sweaty male preserve of testosterone-fuelled guitars and macho posturing harking back to the Neanderthal '70s. But amidst the deeply un-sexy, doom-laden likes of Brit sludgemeisters Cathedral and co., a whole host of care-free Americans have upped the ante and made stoner rock cool. And near the top of that tree are Fu Manchu, whose monolithic sound has enough twists and turns to get indie boys interested and keep the metal massive slavering. From the first blast of opener 'Separate Kingdom', there's no denying the urge to get your motor running and head out on the highway, while 'California Crossing' itself demonstrates a pedal to the metal verve that aligns them with the Motorhead-loving, Harley Davidson-worshipping likes of biker rock. But even though there's little of the OTT glory of Monster Magnet or the hyper-cool sensibilities of QOTSA, there is a sufficiently twisted vibe that makes 'Mongoose' and 'Bultaco' reminiscent of the Pixies jamming with Black Sabbath. Fu Manchu may change their members more often than they change their socks, but there's no denying the consistent nature of their turbo-charged roar, replete with a punkoid energy and garage-load of hooks and melodies. It may not be quite as fab as their seminal opus 'The Action Is Go', but 'California Crossing' proves Fu Manchu are gonna be grooving for years to come.
William Luff
