Fuzz Rock Legends FU MANCHU are back with their 12^th full length album titled "Clone of the Universe", releasing this March, and I haven't been exited with a new release like this in a long time! Let's drive!

The album starts with a powerful energetic "Intelligent Worship" and it doesn't disappoint. It has the expected Desert Rock feel to it, and doesn't overdo itself. "(Ive Been) Hexed" has a chaotic, "trying-too-hard" feeling to it and didn't impress me all that much. "Don't Panic" has a good vibe to it, and doesn't feel overwhelming unlike the previous one, and also has cool drum solo at the end. The lads throw a real beauty in "Slower Than Light". The song starts as a slow track, but has a pumping tempo to it towards the middle of it, giving it a nice cinematic effect, even though similar song structure has been used billon time before. "Nowhere Left To Hide" has a really cool vibe, as the vocals are the most interesting part of the song here. Scott Hill's clean vocals really work wonders with FU MANCHU's sound, and it all reflects in this song. "Clone of the Universe" is what you get when you infuse Punk into Stoner Fuzz Rock.  Scott Hill really nails the vocals in this one. The album ends with a legendary 18 min song in "Il Mostro Atomico". The song all the way through has a 'Funeral Doom Metal' feel to it, not because of the sound itself, but because of how long it is, and the way the song is structure all the way throughout the 18 minutes. It also has beautiful riffs, with guest guitar work by the legendary Alex Lifeson of RUSH fame. It's an interesting song with good variations and flows, that doesn't test the patience of the listener, which happens so often with songs this long.

You knew what to expect of this record, and FU MANCHU gives you exactly that, nothing more, nothing less. Honestly, I am not a regular listener of Fuzz Stoner Rock, but I absolutely love the music every time I listen to the genre, and any fans of these genres, or otherwise, should just pick this album for fun. Again, it's not perfect, but it's fun.