Release Date: April 10th 2026. Record Label: Fuzzorama Records. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl.
Masterflow - Tracklisting
1.Old Big Eye
2.The Bliss
3.Carver
4.Truce
5.Masterflow
6.The Gorgon
7.Gath
8.Bad Horse
9.Goin’ Home
Members
Ozo (Oskar Cedermalm) – vocals, bass
Dango (Niklas Källgren) – guitar
Review
The lords of FUZZ ROCK, Truckfighters are back with their first album of new material in over a decade ever since their superb 2016 offering “V”. That album saw the band incorporate progressive themes and ideas before they announced a short hiatus back in 2019. The band got back together in 2020 where they’ve played various tours and festival dates across the globe to their legion of dedicated followers. There have been rumbles of new songs over the last few years and the time is finally here with Masterflow.
Masterflow at first glance or listen feels like a very different Truckfighters album with the band deconstructing their highly innovative classic sound and applying a highly methodical back to basics approach which adds a sublime Punk Rock vibe to the whole experience. Mr Ozo and Mr Dango are ON FIRE here and feel like a band reborn as they demonstrate a wealth of hard rocking and grounded Fuzz/Stoner Rock melodies that has a perfect rebellious element to them on opening tracks of Old Big Eye, The Bliss and Carver.
Truckfighters apply an OLD SCHOOL creative methodology to their music that sees them write music that harks back to the days of their classic albums of Gravity X and PHI. The album then uses twisted and pissed off elements that made MANIA and V such great records in their own right. There’s a deeply aggressive sound building up behind the scenes with Truckfighters proving why they are perhaps one of the most impootant bands to emerge from the Desert/Stoner Rock scene over the last thirty years or so. You could say they're the most important Stoner Rock bands to emerge from the Swedish Stoner Rock scene and that’s no small feat with the likes of LOWRIDER, DOZER and GREENLEAF making celebrated albums over the last decade or so.
Masterflow allows Truckfighters the perfect opportunity to challenge their own musical legacy and forge exciting new opportunities for themselves with intense melodies and classic Stoner Rock grit emerging within Mr Ozo’s vocals. There’s shades of Psychedelic harmonics and Post-Stoner soundscapes that’s perhaps the dominant element into today’s Stoner Rock scene. However, only Truckfighters can deliver a classic level of storytelling into their music which showcases a vibrant style of Fuzz Rock on tracks such as Carver, Truce and Masterflow. There’s even some Space Rock dimensions appearing through different soundbytes and delicate distorted environments forming on how the rest of the album plays out.
The second half of the album allows this to be the band’s most mature, aggressive and original album in years with some moments reminding me of PHI. Truckfighters could have easily released a more nuanced and soft hearted album but that’s not their style as they know what their fans want to hear which they deliver with epic amounts of supreme musical dedication on other sublime tracks such as: Masterflow, The Gorgon, Bad Horse and Goin’ Home. This album feels like you’re meeting an old friend for the very first time after a long absence. You know what to expect from Masterflow but nothing prepares you regarding the experience after listening to the whole record.
Masterflow is expertly produced with a raw aesthetic allowing Truckfighters to exploit that stripped back and punk rock environment to their musical advantage. When an album feels like a greatest hits package and still offers huge waves of exciting originality then you begin to realize what a seriously great album that the band have expertly delivered. The whole mood is emotionally engaging with first rate grooves throughout which is backed up by excellent vocals throughout.
Masterflow is going to end up becoming one of the most definitive Desert, Fuzz and Stoner Rock albums of the year and perhaps become one of their most important records Truckfighters have released to date. This is a MASSIVE album in every sense of the word.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Fuzzorama Records for the promo.
Masterflow is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Fuzzorama Records.
Links
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