:: Fu Manchu - We Must Obey

Fu Manchu

After a self imposed stay out of the spotlight for the better part of a year, long running Southern Californian retro/stoner rockers Fu Manchu return with tenth studio outing ‘We Must Obey’, and it’s an almighty return for the group. Although 2004’s ‘Start The Machine’ showed a small move towards their earlier thick/fuzzed up sound, the album seemed to lack an edge/sound, and therefore didn’t quite make the grade compared to the band’s earlier output. However, on ‘We Must Obey’, the quartet has finally plugged their distortion pedals back in, found inspiration in the noise they makes and come up with what is undoubtedly one of their strongest efforts in years.
With a towering chaotic build up start, a distinctive souped up Fu Manchu sounding riff emerges to take the lead with the leading title track ‘We Must Obey’, which is a track that sees Hill in excellent form, while Balch’s lead work bristles with energy and power. ‘Knew It All Along’, ‘Didn’t Really Try’, ‘Never Again’ and ‘Hung Out To Dry’ are infectious tunes with memorable choruses as well as featuring some great guitar effects throughout the verses, while the crushing ‘Let Me Out’, ‘Between The Lines’ and the anthem like ‘Shake It Loose’ prove that Fu Manchu are anything but a spent force in the heaviness stakes. On the slower side of tempo, the weighty ‘Land Of Giants’, ‘Lesson’ and the very experimental/atmospheric ‘Sensei Vs. Sensei’ are all classic Fu Manchu in the traditional sense, while the group’s cover of The Cars’ ‘Moving In Stereo’ has been totally revamped, and sounding every bit like a Fu Manchu original. While 2004’s ‘Start The Machine’ has some claiming that Fu Manchu had returned from their brief experimentation in accessibility, it does come anywhere near the brilliance of ‘We Must Obey’. Fu Manchu is back, and quite possibly with one of their best efforts yet.