Fu Manchu - Clone Of The Universe (At The Dojo Records) 2018
8
Four years on from the suitably colossal Gigantoid, the California groovers have only learned how to get bigger, louder and (somehow) even cooler for its follow-up. “Don’t Panic” and “(I’ve Been) Hexed” are classic desert rock cuts, equal parts punk sneer and hellacious rock’n’roll with a dash of thrash to taste, but it’s “Il Mostro Atomico” that cements this album as one of their best, a diesel-powered trip through Hawkwind’s most lurid moments that engulfs half of the album’s run-time yet feels so fluid, so effortlessly spacious that time doesn’t really apply to it. From Reeder’s endless energy to Bob Balch’s savage lead breaks (and that killer artwork) this is everything a fan of bars, cars and guitars could want in a Fu Manchu record.