Hookah The Fuzz - Hookah The Fuzz
With the shortest song on Hookah The Fuzz's eponymous debut tipping the six and a half minute mark, you know you're in for something pretty epic. That's just the rules of progressive metal, if you must insist on giving it a label. Well, listen and you'll see for yourself how tricky it is to categorise this band. They've packed more diversity and contrasts into one song than most bands manage in an entire album. "Hookah The Fuzz" is a great big mixed bag of unconventional combinations that, on paper, just seem odd. Thrash and jazzy piano solos? Munchkins and gang rape? It soon becomes apparent that this album is largely fuelled by lots of sex, drugs and booze - essential creative tools for such a whimsical young band, as any musician will tell you.
Hookah The Fuzz are not one for subtleties. Si Jefferies delivers explicit verses about anything and everything from paedophiles on trial and huffing lines to issues like the influence of religion and the hypocrisy that comes with it. 'Preachers Suck More' has an incongruous, psychadelic opening that gives no hint to the concealed terror, suffering and separation told of within the lyrics, leading in to a pretty epic and atmospheric chorus about praying to self-destruct one day. They adopt this technique frequently throughout the album; hiding dark, controversial and political lyrics under the veneer of aurally appeasing melodies. Paying full attention to this album is vital, in order to appreciate the package as a whole. Especially when they throw in something like 'Addict'. A slow guitar crescendo complete with perfectly tuneful vocals builds up to the aforementioned jazzy piano section which is interesting enough in itself. Then we descend into what sounds like a very reggae-influenced piece, which includes touching sentiments such as: "You better believe I'm gonna ejaculate/Right in your face, my favourite place". Quite clearly this is a song written straight from the heart.
Hookah The Fuzz are definitely a band we need to introduce to all the fringe-fancying clones that keep emerging from the modern metal scene and who are wrongly under the impression that they're like, sooo unique, man. THIS is how to be original, interesting, witty, relevant, and lots of other adjectives too.