It's a real shame that Fozzy, the band fronted by WWE wrestler Chris Jericho and Stuck Mojo guitarist Rich "The Duke" Ward, is not a mega heavy metal band at this point. In hindsight, it probably wasn't a good idea that the band debuted with two releases of fairly pedestrian cover songs a few years back, as it's possible that fans might have 'checked out' already and not given their 2007 masterpiece All That Remains, their first all original album, a fair shot. Here in 2010 we have their follow-up, the equally hot Chasing the Grail, an album that confirms that Fozzy are the real deal, not just a gimmick metal band featuring a popular professional wrestler.
It's quickly apparent that Jericho is improving by leaps and bounds in the vocal category after hearing the opening cut "Under Blackened Skies", a rampaging power metal track with killer melodies & hooks, Ward's muscular riffs and tasty solos, and the potent rhythm attack from bassist Sean Delson and drummer Frank Fontsere. The band dive into Black Label Society styled groove & doom with the catchy "Martyr No More", and move into gothic nu-metal territory on the engaging "Grail", featuring a solid vocal from Jericho. Though "Broken Soul" is a decent enough ballad, it sounds almost out of place here and would have probably fared better on a Nickelback album. The band quickly rebounds though with the speedy riffer "Let the Madness Begin", complete with some nifty Dream Theater inspired guitar/keyboard trade-offs and a blistering guitar solo from Ward, and the absolute crusher "Pray for Blood", with Fontsere's drum fills really kicked up into high gear.
"New Days Dawn" sees Fozzy trying to do their best gothic metal impersonation, and it's not overly successful, though it does have its moments, and the chunky "God Pounds His Nails" is one of two songs there that features a guitar solo from Annihilator's Jeff Waters, and as you can imagine he absolutely shreds on this one! Jericho's versatile vocal range really takes the catchy rocker "Watch Me Shine" to a new level, which leads into the crazed power metal drive of "Paraskavedekatriaphobia (Friday The 13th)". After the symphonic metal of "Revival" ( a real doozy of a tune), the albums powerful & epic closer "Wormwood" takes center stage. Dream Theater fans will certainly want to hear this bombastic slice of progressive metal, an adventurous journey complete with crushing riffs, raging organ, intricate rhythms, hot solo spots, and just the right amount of atmosphere in certain places.
There you have it folks, another winner of an album from Fozzy. Though the CD has a couple of tunes that are not quite up to par with the remaining blistering cuts, even those tunes are better than what many metal acts can come up with these days. What's good here is actually quite great, and it's about time that the world realizes the quality material this outfit is churning out.
Track Listing
1. Under Blackened Skies 5:32
2. Martyr No More 4:37
3. Grail 5:09
4. Broken Soul 4:09
5. Let The Madness Begin 3:47
6. Pray For Blood 5:12
7. New Day's Dawn 4:34
8. God Pounds His Nails 4:20
9. Watch Me Shine 3:38
10. Paraskavedekatriaphobia (Friday The 13th) 5:26
11. Revival 4:47
12. Wormwood 13:53
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
