Review: Truckfighters ‘Masterflow’
A decade has passed since we last heard from Örebro, Sweden’s legendary, high-flying lords of fuzz, Truckfighters. The duo, Oskar ‘Ozo’ Cedermalm on bass and vocals, and Nikolas ‘Dango’ Källgren on guitar, along with a merry-go-round of drummers, have kept themselves busy during this time playing live, routinely hitting the European festival circuit, while also managing their label Fuzzorama Records. However, the ten-year gap between albums, their last being the awesome and evolutionary V, feels like an eternity in retrospect.
Now, finally, the band’s long-awaited sixth full-length is upon us. Their mission statement, which I’d argue also applies to their entire core philosophy, is right there on the cover: ‘Masterflow – balance between discipline and freedom’. It’s a detail I initially missed, never mind the quote also being in the title track, but such is life sometimes. The long wait between releases did not affect the Swedish heavyweights negatively in any way; from the moment the proverbial needle hits wax, it is indeed a flowing, riff-stuffed, fuzz-drenched desert rock tour de force teeming with soaring choruses and trippy psychedelic passages.
Masterflow releases the pause button as if the group has been stuck in suspended animation for the last ten years, instantly exploding into consciousness with the massive, rumbling opener, Old Big Eye. Everything we’ve come to love about them is instantly on display: massive, catchy, fuzz-soaked riffs and charging, distorted rhythms, bolstered by complementary lead noodling and an addictive, soaring chorus, all shot through the duo’s own quirky, kaleidoscopic lens.
Next up, The Bliss stays in a similar lane but with plenty of old-school, Queens of the Stone Age-esque lead noodling anchored by some serious crash and bash on the drums, alongside Ozo’s thundering, fuzz-infused bass. It is the type of track that leaves me imagining what QOTSA might have sounded like had they evolved in a heavier direction, as opposed to the LA cool-guy rock direction they went. Dango’s note choices, riffs, and execution are all at once huge, fuzzy, and infectious, while Ozo’s distorted yet hook-laden vocals and weighty bass serve as the perfect foil.
As excellent as the first two tracks are, they are practically appetizers for one of the best songs I have experienced in a long time: Carver. Starting with a clean, repetitive guitar line, it instantly draws the listener’s attention as spacey vocals soon join the mix. After a few bars, the guys hit their respective fuzz pedals, and the track builds toward an epic, introspective, fuzz-drenched rocker with all sorts of cool lead flourishes from the guitar and more riffs than one thought possible and we’re still working our way to the middle section.
By the time we get there, we’re taken in a few directions; their ever-present sense of build alongside some killer note choices is on vivid display. Hitting the home stretch, the track then morphs into a driving, trippy, overcoming-obstacles vibe before once again circling into the main riff, which they ride to the end.
Truce proffers many different sounds, twinkling into this plane with some introspective acoustic guitar that soon transforms into a massive, twisting, riffing, soaring affair of the highest order. They proceed to circle back, bringing the track to a close with another dose of reflective acoustic strumming backed by delicate, meandering bass lines.
a flowing, riff-stuffed, fuzz-drenched desert rock tour de force teeming with soaring choruses and trippy psychedelic passages…
Reaching the midpoint of the album with the title track, Masterflow, the Swedes put on a clinic in spaced-out, desert instrumental action. Complete with bongos, it invokes the aura of one of my favorite records of all time, Brant Bjork’s legendary Jalamanta. It splits the difference between Bjork-esque desert trippiness and Black Sabbath’s immortal Planet Caravan’s cosmic yearnings to stunning effect. The instrumentation is deeply introspective, capable of evoking many different emotions and moods.
After the contemplative mood of the title track, the fuzz-wallop returns with The Gorgon, a huge, thumping, yet totally catchy affair that boasts earworm riffage and vocals that burrow into the listener’s mind. They have always been masters of the quiet-to-loud dynamic, and this is perfectly exhibited on the crushing yet weird and melodic Gath. Meanwhile, the penultimate Bad Horse is a strange, driving, pensive number with sporadic bursts of gnarly, fuzz-blasted riffery.
Closer Goin’ Home is a ruminative effort, mellow and self-reflective. Anchored by heavy bass and boasting plenty of Josh Homme-esque, emotive shred from the guitar, it brings this amazing album to its close.
The band continues its evolution throughout the course of Masterflow, taking the melodic, introspective, and psychedelic aspects of their sound to new levels while not losing one iota of the heft and crushing, fuzzed-out riffery that has been their trademark since the debut, Gravity X. Ozo has always been one of my favorite vocalists within the genre – his work on those early Greenleaf albums is the stuff of legend – and here, it feels like he’s kicked it up a notch.
For that matter, every sound on the record feels elevated to another level. Simply put, it’s a clinic in fuzzed-out riffs, melodic yet distorted vocals, and psychedelic, desert-inspired passages that seamlessly flow through its entirety like a river of sound. Additionally, I’ll argue that Truckfighters offers perhaps a glimpse into the direction that Kyuss may have taken had they stayed together, or perhaps, as noted, a heavier, more psychedelic Queens of the Stone Age vibe.
Masterflow is one of those albums that I will be listening to for years to come, and it is an album that the human race could blast into space as the definition of ‘stoner’ or ‘desert rock.’ The sequencing is practically flawless, as one track flows (there’s that word again) seamlessly into the next. It should easily be in any discussion for album of the year, and with the deluge of killer releases we’ve already had, that is lofty praise indeed. Is it too early to call it a classic of the genre? Time will tell. Highly recommended.
Label: Fuzzorama Records
Band Links: Official | Facebook | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Martin Williams
