Release
date: September 30th
2016. Label: Fuzzorama Records and Century Media Records. Format:
CD/DD/Vinyl
V
– Tracklisting
01.
Calm Before The Storm
02.
Hawkshaw
03.
The 1
04.
Gehenna
05.
The Contract
06.
Fiend
07.
Storyline
Band
Members:
Ozo
(Oskar Cedermalm) - vocals and bass
Dango
(Niklas Källgren) - guitar
El
Danno (Daniel Israelsson) - drums
Review:
Only
a few months ago I was putting on paper the review of the first live
album of Truckfighters, the band of which (it is useless to hide) I
am a fan from the very early years. Personally, I was always
fascinated by the ability of the band to bring in a personal key the
paradigms of stoner and desert rock, bringing the Palm Desert groove
directly to Örebro. What really surprise me in their live album was
the ability to propose old stuff in a different way, where the
fuzz-oriented approach of the first releases fuses with a more
stylish and lysergic sound.
Well,
in their fifth studio album, titled V (Fuzzorama Records and Century
Media Records), Truckfighters continue this evolutionary path through
(to my opinion) their more mature release. Nevertheless, this album
deserves more than a listening and It should be listened carefully
and with a mind free from judgments and prejudices.
In
7 tracks and over 47 minutes, Truckfighters display their ability to
fuse grunge, heavy metal and psychedelia, where the voice of Oskar
‘Ozo’ Cedermalm is at its peak and the guitars of Niklas ‘Dango’
Kallgren and the rhythm section of Danial ‘El Danno’ Israelsson
(yes, yet another, the eighth, drummer) create the conditions for a
wraparound album.
V
starts with Calm Before The Storm (title fits perfectly), a song that
starts with an intro that closely resembles TOOL (this will not be
the only similarity with the Los Angeles quartet), in a crescendo of
atmosphere that ends with tons of fuzz in pure Truckfighters style.
It follows Hawkshaw, where a powerful bass and drum intro opens the
way to the fuzz blow. In this song the alternation between most
relaxed moments to sudden acceleration gives the track a beautifully
kinetic feel.
The
next song, The 1, signs another line-up shift, with Peter Damin
taking the drums for one of the powerful songs of the album, where
the vocals are mildly compressed and an easy going riff introduces
the fuzzy assault for the chorus.
With
Gehenna, the fourth track, Truckfighters go back to the sound of
Gravity X, where the filtered vocals perfectly overlaid with the
riffing guitar and bass. Exactly half of the song, a break in pure
TOOL style, both for the use of the riffing and vocals, introduces
the end of the song nicely displacing the listener. It follows the
fuzzy/prog/stoner The Contract, a song where TOOL meets
Truckfighters. The amazing palm muted riffing intro of ‘Dango’
masterfully alternates with tons of fuzz and a tight and massive
rhythm section.
With
Fiend, our journey into V arrives near the end. In this song, Ozo’s
vocal comes out in all its versatility and everything in this track
mix perfectly to give the song a huge ending. Storyline is one of my
favorite songs. Here, the vocals are a lot more dominant and the song
goes straight in all its complexity, constantly varying in all its
complexity. Definitively, Truckfighters could not have chosen a
better song to close this new album, as it is a fine example of their
flexibility as musicians.
It
is always difficult to give a judgment on the work of someone when
you are a fan, as I was always been fascinated by Truckfighters since
my first listening. The risk, too often, is to overestimate the work
or to be disappointed because it does not correspond to what the band
has played over the past 15 years (something that I personally feel
as a real close-minded by fans). The truth, as always, lies in
between.
To
be honest, it took me a very long long time to metabolize this new
work of Truckfighters, as it is unlike anything you would expect from
the band. To my opinion it represents the most mature and complete
album released so far by the fuzzy Swedish trio, where does not shine
only a single characterizing element as in some other past
productions. In this work we perceive the care with which
Truckfighters have rewritten some of their paradigms (e.g. the
obsessive use of fuzz that has always distinguished their sound) in a
more structured way.
It
is never easy for a band, especially after 15 years, playing
different but at the same time maintaining their roots. You just have
to be patient and listen to this work carefully, perhaps through
headphones to appreciate every nuance, and you will realize that, in
the end, it may be different from Truckfighters while remaining
Truckfighters.
Words
by Bruno Bellisario
Thanks
to Fuzzorama Records for the promo. V will be out available to buy on CD/DD/Vinyl from Fuzzorama Records and Century Media Records - US.
Truckfighters Links
Truckfighters Links
