Fu Manchu

In Search Of… (Mammoth)
by Joshua Brown

It’s as though the ’80s never happened. Making comparisons between Fu Manchu and ’70s acid-rock kings is slippery business, because, while the influence is undeniable, there’s no nostalgic vibe. The wah-wahs and disgruntled spaceship-pilot vocals are every bit as alive in Fu Manchu as they were in Black Sabbath’s heyday. That it’s decades later doesn’t make a bit of difference in this case. When all is said and done, they’re just another rock ‘n’ roll band that makes life a little less dull. Formerly Virulence, a band with an intriguing astral focus, but a little too abstract and depressing, they’ve grown a lot – learning to communicate more directly and blatantly having fun.