FU MANCHU: "THE ACTION IS GO"

Fu Manchu's "The Action Is Go''(1997). A heavy, fuzzed out desert/stoner metal masterpiece. This is easily Fu Manchu's heaviest and one of their strongest recorded efforts to date. With ex-Kyuss member Brant Bjork on drums, there are some similarities to the sun-drenched desert metal of Kyuss, but they take that sound much further and make into something completely their own. Blending the gargantuan riffery of Black Sabbath with the euphoria and energy of The Stooges and a touch of space rock, Fu Manchu hits you hard with a barrage of stoned-out head banging riffs that only let up to let you catch a glimpse of the void of space before pummeling you again. The production of White Zombie guitarist Jay Yuenger is is very guitar heavy, clear yet fuzzed out at the same time. The dry vocal delivery of Scott Hill takes a few listens to get used to, but it s hard to imagine anyone else in his place. The drug induced lyrics are great and don't make much sense at times, but they aren't really supposed to. The songs range from full on metal assault ("Evil Eye"), to heavy trippiness("Grendel, Snowman"), to sprawling spaciness("Saturn III" and "Strolling Astronomer"). All in all, "The Action Is Go" is my personal favorite Fu Manchu album, and my favorite stoner rock album of all time next to Kyuss's "Sky Valley".

Here's "Evil Eye"....


...and here's "Trackside Hoax".

Trackside Hoax - Fu Manchu