Recently in the grocery store I heard the Survivor song with the same name as the title track to this album. Needless to say, that has nothing to do with Fuzz Evil. But I have a feeling the Fuzz Evil boys were tweaking 80s nostalgia when they decided on a name for their latest power stoner rock set.

Fuzz Evil High on You (self-released)

Most of the reviews I've seen have come from the metal blogosphere. And while that makes sense in practical terms (the metalloids are very active and have cultivated some serious chips on the shoulders; I have sympathy for that point of view, though I'm not much for victimhood), this is metal in the same was that Masters of Reality were metal. Which is to say there is a serious Sabbath/Deep Purple influence, but Grandpa's metal is not today's metal.

Fuzz Evil bashes in a largely straightforward fashion, though the distortion is wonderfully hazy. The power trio is a classic rock arrangement, and it lends both familiarity and flexibility to a band. Fuzz Evil is doing absolutely nothing new. This isn't an update (well, the sound is much better than its 70s influences), but rather simply an outstanding expression of the form.

Anyone in need of a good piledriving should jump right in. These are stellar stoner anthems, riffing around the psychedelic and doomy universe. Why go back to the drawing board when what you have is so wonderful? As for the title track, I can't wait until I hear it in my local grocery store. Might be a while, though. They just started playing "Paranoid" last year.

Jon Worley