Swedish fuzz merchants Truckfighters are back with a new collection of tunes, collectively called ‘Masterflow’. If you know anything about the band, you’ll know that Josh Homme is a fan. Praise indeed!

The band formed back in 2001 and released the stoner anthem – ‘Desert Cruiser’, which propelled them into the hearts and minds of fans of all things fuzzy.

Masterflow is the band’s first release in ten years, and it’s been worth the wait. You know what to expect: Kyuss and Fu Manchu flavoured riffs, pounding drums, and drifting vocals. I can also pick up a Royal Blood tinged aftertaste.

Opening track – ‘Old Big Eye’ gives my headphones a hammering, it sounds huge! Some tasty cowbell action, too.

The album just gets better as it goes on, tracks like ‘The Bliss’, ‘Carver’, and the lead single – ‘Truce’, are sublime slabs of prehistoric rock. I can imagine this stuff being played in dirty, smelly clubs with sweaty bodies writhing to the rhythms. Brilliant.

The title track starts with a melodic intro and bongos, very ‘Planet Caravan’, before we get some spoken word, which adds to the trippy effect. ‘The Gorgon’ is my favourite track on the album. You can feel the bass in Australia… thunderous! ‘Gath’ is housed in another gargantuan riff. The production is perfect, I played the album through a decent pair of headphones. Sonically, it harks back to the good old days of analogue recording. The drums sound like drums, which I feel is being lost in these days of triggering and sampling.

‘Bad Horse’ and ‘Goin’ Home’ end the album in style. If you’re a fan of any of the bands I’ve mentioned here, you will love the new effort from Truckfighters. It’s a masterclass in fuzz. 

The band graces the UK on the bill of Desertfest in April alongside such heavyweights as Green Lung and Clutch. Get along and see ‘em if you can.

Buy Here

Author: Kenny Kendrick