Who knew Chris Jericho could rawk this well? I guess a lot of you did!
I think I heard an album or two when Fozzy first emerged onto the scene waaaaay back in the day (Almost twenty years now) and like a good security blanket, I relished in the fact that they were out there and doing their thang but didn’t necessarily need to indulge.
Albums like Judas make me feel guilty for missing out during that time.
With partner-in-crime Rich Ward back for another round, Jericho returns to Fozzy with a monstrous album that is filled with more stadium-ready anthems than all the volumes of Jock Jams combined!
As a Fozzy novice, every song was an unexpected hard rawk treasure. Pair the arrangements with Jericho’s voice which is this weird amalgamation of Rob Halford (Gruff Halford, not “Painkiller” Halford) and Ozzy Osbourne (Think classic “Fairies Wear Boots” and “War Pigs”performances as examples) and the tunes on Judas are easy to soak in.
Speaking of “Judas”, holy hell is the opener and title track a catchy anthem (Disclaimer: the word “anthem” will be overused throughout this review). It’s a fitting intro for new fans and the greatest primer for returning ones. “Drinkin With Jesus” continues along those lines as this hard rawkin’ jam just seethes with attitude and confidence with a chorus that shares some sonic similarities with “Dead & Bloated”. Then Fozzy throw a monkey wrench at you as “Weight Of My World” actually brings the funk inbetween the dueling riff wars from Ward and Billy Grey.
“Burn Me Out” might be an all time musical peak for Fozzy with parts that’ll cause booty shakin’ as much as it’ll cause head bangin’. It’s a heavy beat and synth driven track (Props to drummer Frank Fontsere on this one and throughout Judas) with so much soul and an epic chorus that would make it fit in on Pop radio as well as on the heavy stations.
“Three Days In Jail” is a Jekyll & Hyde track with half made up of this industrial noise and larger than life riffage while the other half has a guest rapper making the track a suitable entry on the imaginary soundtrack for Judgement Night 2.
“Elevator” is another sing-a-long anthem (There’s that word again) that’s an easy contender for next single and a breakthrough crossover for the Pop charts while “Capsized” builds off of this phat groove (Do the kids still use that term?) and just rips!. The immense wall of sound within “Running With The Bulls” and its’ glorious chorus which follows is further proof of Fozzy’s staying power and consistent way of captivating new and old listeners.
Judas is out on October 13th through Century Media Records. Pre-orders are available now by clicking here and here. Fozzy will be embarking on the “Judas Rising” tour starting on September 26th in Tennessee. For a full list of dates, head on over here now.
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