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Fat.Mo.Mac: Fat.Mo.Mac
As you listen to the opening track "Walk Alone" off of the debut self-titled release from new Swedish band Fat.Mo.Mac, you'd think you were listening to some long lost Badlands track from the late '80s, but lo and behold, it's actually a new side project from guitarist Lars Johansson of doom legends Candlemass. To say he's doing something completely different here is a severe understatement, and to fulfill his heavy blues rock/hard rock vision, he's brought along fellow Candlemass member Mats Levin (vocals), Roger Eklof (guitar), Tobbe Moen (bass), Stefan Gunnarsson (drums), Klas Gunnerfeldt (guitar), and Lennart Ostlund.
As for that first song "Walk Alone", it's a real ripper, with plenty of smoldering bluesy riffs and scorching lead guitar, not to mention powerful vocals from Levin. Johansson & Eklof fire off some tasty guitar work on this '70s/'80s hard rock throwback, and they also pair off on a few more tunes on the CD to equally impressive results. Sadly, this opening track is probably the strongest tune on the album. While nothing else here is bad by any means, much of the remainder of the album is standard run of the mill blues rock fare that catches your ear but rarely leaves you wowed. Guitar work throughout is strong, but there's a certain catchiness that seems to be missing which makes tunes such as "So Bad it Feels", "Broken Down", "Always Like That", and "Memories is all There Is" somewhat forgettable. However, "Cold Woman" has a raunchy vibe that brings to mind early Cactus or Aerosmith, and instrumentals "Kickback" and "Gear Shifter" lets the axe men dip into some tasty soloing. Closer "Get Home" has a atmospheric, slow blues feel, with Levin delivering a passionate vocal over some tasty licks and stinging solos, but you just wish it had gone on a little longer.
Overall, a decent enough album, but with so many very good newer bands popping up doing the hard rock/blues thing these days, Fat.Mo.Mac will need to jumpstart their game a bit to keep up. The guitar work is there, but the songs will need to be a little more memorable to make it all click. And, might want to consider a band name change too while they are at it.
See more about this release on our recent YouTube show!
Track Listing
1) Walk Alone
2) So Bad it Feels
3) Broken Down
4) Kickback
5) Always Like That
6) Cold Woman
7) Memories is all There Is
8) Gear Shifter
9) Get Home
Added: April 25th 2015 Reviewer: Pete Pardo Score: Related Link: Band @ Reverbnation Hits: 1945 Language: english
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Fat.Mo.Mac: Fat.Mo.Mac Posted by Michael Popke, SoT Staff Writer on 2015-04-25 18:18:13 My Score:
Supergroups come in all shapes and sizes these days. But here's one we didn't expect to see or hear anytime soon: Sweden's Fat.Mo.Mac consists of members from Candlemass, Therion, Silent Call and even former Chicago vocalist Bill Champlin's band making jam-worthy, blues-infused rock that grinds and rolls.Candlemass guitarist Lars Johansson drew on his early inspirations, which stretch back to Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck and Leslie West, to write a slew of thick and doomy blues tunes. He then set out to find some musicians capable of bringing them to life and named the collaborative after Fatmomakke, one of the largest Alps of northern Sweden near the Arctic Circle. Vocalist Mats Levén, known for his work with Candlemass, Yngwie Malmsteen, Therion, Krux, Amaseffer and Gus, does his best to sound like David Coverdale. Other players include bassist Tobbe Moen (Silent Call), drummer Stefan Gunnarsson (Bill Champlin) and guitarist Klas Gunnerfeldt (Psychosomatic Cowboys). The late guitarist Roger Eklöf, who suffered a fatal heart attack during the recording process, plays on three songs. A pair of instrumentals gives Levén a break and — along with the melodic-yet-grammatically-incorrect rocker "Memories Is All There Is" — suggests that Johansson is capable of taking this retro new material even further away from the Candlemass sound. This group plays like a bunch of seasoned veterans should, and the fact that this music is coming from guys you didn't expect makes it even more of a worthy find.
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