The final Big Review honour goes to our Spanish friends Fooz, who's debut self titled album has recently been released through Spain's Alone Records and Custom Heavy Records in the US. Is it shit? Is it shit hot? Read on to find out...

Alone / Custom Heavy

Fooz
Fooz

Fucking great stuff this. Over the four years of Attitude it's not all that often we've had truly great CDs to review, and I can tell you that when we do get one it's a great fucking pleasure. Fooz could just be one such album.

Fooz twist and turn like, well, a twisty turny thing! Drummer Pablo seldom settles down into a solid beat, preferring to add an air of syncopation to the proceedings as well as giving a truly percussive sound. Singer Ignacio has a lovely, almost progy feel to his voice sounding at the same time emotional and innocent in a 60s kind of way, without being overwrought. I fucking love the vocal lines. The bass, played by Andrés, is perfect in the sense that it does exactly what it's there to do, but without being really needing to be heard. Juan and Ignacio's guitars cycle from light jingly-jangly affairs, through subdued fuzz & wah, to full-on effect-fests. Oh yeah, and then there's the keyboard that pops up here and there. The obligatory Sabbath homage appears on track 9, while track 10 sounds like something Syd Barrett could have written down the line had he not lost his mind.

Fooz manages to be at once an original rock album and a chillout album. It is truly a journey. Sounds kind of like Pink Floyd, yes? The only real problem is the review copy is an unmastered version, so the overall sound is perhaps not quite as great as it could be.

Kevin's Verdict: Their bio quotes "The hallowed spirits of Captain Beyond, Pink Floyd. Hawkwind, Captain Beefheart and Blue Cheer all dance to Fooz", and I'd have to say that's probably fucking true.

First off, lets get it out the way, Fooz do not sound like Kyuss, Fu Manchu, Black Sabbath or Monster Magnet. Some reviewers out there just hear the term stoner rock and seem to just reel these names off, without listening to the CDs at all [I hope that's not a dig at my Sabbath remark!! - Ed]. Fooz are a Spanish band, and have a very unique sound. When the singing first kicks in it reminds me of some classic metal bands, Bruce Dickinson springs to mind, but as the songs progress, the vocals shift adding touches of Pink Floyd and Gong.

The music is psychedelic in the extreme, but in a vintage way. The album consists mainly of airy acoustic stuff with only select moments of full on rock, and this really gives them an individual sound. Hell, they even sound like the Beatles at times. I hope Fooz don’t mind if I call this record sweet, but that’s one of the best descriptions I can come up with. It is like a psychedelic album for children, kind of like the magic roundabout meets acoustic Hawkwind. I really dig Fooz, they are a Sunday morning to the full on rock of Nebula’s Saturday night.

People keep on going on about the staleness of the stoner rock scene, but lets face facts here, metal is dead, nu metal sucks and pop is for kids. One of the few places to get real rock today, is within the world of stoner rock. There are so many good bands in this scene, it’s about time some of you people looked at the dodgy rap metal that is being forced on you and see it for what it is. A bunch of untalented 30+ year old men, dressing up in costumes and singing lame songs to appeal to middle class America. This is not rebellious, skilled, intelligent and it sure ain’t new goddamn it. Bands like Fooz deserve your support - or does musicianship, soul and talent not mean anything anymore? [Graeme]