III

Chronique

After two albums where Fuzz's dynamic duo of Ty Segall and Charles Moothart set the controls to the heart of the late '60s/early '70s in a (mostly successful) quest to recapture the vital moment in history when garage rock met acid rock and got super heavy, they've truly hit the bull's-eye with III. With new bassist Chad Ubovich on board, the group have made a record that not only brings to mind early Black Sabbath or Blue Cheer but also stands proudly next to them like a conquering hero. With the help of Steve Albini's no-frills recording job and a general lack of overdubs, reverb, and frills, the sound is immediate and powerful. Segall's drums are a force of nature, Ubovich's bass thuds when it needs to, then jousts with the guitar melodically when that's required, and Moothart's guitar is an overdriven thing of ugly beauty. He conjures up molten riffs that tumble out of the speakers, doles out shards of overblown noise, unleashes snaky solos, and basically makes claim to a seat at the table of guitar heroes circa 2020. Both Segall and Moothart provide snarling vocals that whip the songs into shape, sounding most of the time like Ozzy's bratty nephews. Tracks like the gutter-blues stomp "Time Collapse" and monolithic creeper "Returning" definitely worship at the altar of Sabbath; Fuzz have the same mix of soaring melody, thunderous power, and witty guitar attack as that band at their best. Elsewhere, the group indulge in some swaggering biker rock complete with woozy slide guitar ("Spit"), unspool some ripping psychedelic punk ("Close Your Eyes"), and tilt the scales over into freaky prog garage territory on the epic "End Returning," which ends the album with busted drum heads and smoking amps. Before III, Fuzz were a good band who might have been mostly of interest to fans of Segall and Moothart's other work, now they are doing something any and all fans of early metal, late psych, and guitar pyrotechnics should get hip to right away. The combo of the bludgeoning sound, impressively hooky riffs and songs, and masterful, nearly over-the-top performances work together to make unmissable metallic magic.

© Tim Sendra /TiVo