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As
far as stoner rock is concerned, this Canadian combo
dishes out some of the meanest and fiercest sounding
riffs I’ve ever heard. Not sure if it’s totally accurate
to cite Clutch as an influence, after all, every day I
find their influence to be more and more of a mainstay
amongst stoner bands, but get past that point of
remembrance where every other blues based riff sounds
like it was birth during a jam session and I can clearly
imagine the boys of FiftyWatthead all high on crack and
jamming out dynamic and powerful numbers such as “Four
Points”. It sounds spontaneous and very non derivative
in a totally violent way. The band would be all,
playing it without breaking a sweat, but surely, with
dilated pupils. So yeah, while Clutch may make you wanna dance, this band will make you want to bash your
head against a wall.
And that’s
about all I can hear of an influence. FiftyWatthead has a sound
that’s totally their own. That’s not to say it is original,
because they don’t throw any curve balls. And vocalist J
Drummond sounds nothing like the almighty hovering of Neil
Fallon. If anything Drummond has a less overbearing tone that’s
just as powerful. The guitars are more somber and serve an
impressive gamut of prophetic riffs that sound like a presage to
something ‘doom’. Again, this is all done in quite the powerful
way. The solos do not stand out much besides the delicious wah
wah in the title track, which lasts too little to stand out.
Which takes
me to this; get deep into Fogcutter, appreciate the riffs, watch
those curves, have a taste of ‘em and slide your hand to feel
the rough surface. Get past the thick stoner/sludge friendly
production and what we have are songs that approximate the
angularity of some of the Amp Rep roster. Really, it works both
ways. Witness the stunning power of closer “Thunder” which grows
from an almost moribund groove to a feast of volume shifting, 45
degree angle curve turning and emerging high notes and you would
have to challenge the sounds of FiftyWattHead not to fall to
your knees in awe. Ok, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration,
but passing this album is downright criminal.
It’s a shame
that Fogcutter has been out since 2008 and most people have not
noticed. It is also a shame I have had it for so long and it’s
taken me months to get to it. Maybe, I am not worthy.
MySpace
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