FU MANCHU were formed in California in 1987 and this was their 10th studio album released in 2007 by Century Media. Their debut was a 7" flexi disc released by the mighty San Francisco's label Slap a Ham, a total gem in their gender. Their sound was based in their 70s heroes as Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult and so on but also in their contemporary bands as Black Flag, Descendents and Flipper. "We Must Obey" is an album where the band came back to their roots with a wall of heavy guitars sound and with monumental songs as "Land of Giants" or the final track "Sensei vs. Sensei". Re-issue in 180 gram vinyl and limited to 500 copies.
T**1
Kung fu
Good album
T**Y
Near Return To Form
After a few mediocre Fu Manchu releases I wasn't expecting too much with "We Must Obey". The glory days of "In Search Of" and "The Action Is Go" seemed very far away, but this album sees something of a return to form."We Must Obey" is a continuation of the more hard-edged and punk influenced breed of stoner rock the band have been belting out in recent times. Personally I prefer the band when they mix up the tempos, combining the faster attacks with more slow-burning groove tracks ("Saturn III" comes to mind), an approach they perfected with earlier works. However, this album is the best outing of their recent hard-edged sound, which in the past became extremely one-dimensional in pace and delivery. "We Must Obey" contains just enough variation in tempo, riffs and mood to keep me coming back for additional listens, something their more recent works has failed to do.The best tracks that really shine through are mostly on the first half of the album, which in itself is something I find rather irritating for an album's balance, but something that always seems to crop up occasionally. The album kicks off with real purpose thanks to the storming and concise barrage of the title track. "Knew It All Along" kicks in with my favourite riff in the album, and makes for an excellent one-two punch. Other standouts include "Hung Out To Dry" which is about as infectious as anything the band has ever created, and the fantastic "Shake It Loose", which really feels like the album's pinnacle moment with clever song writing and a genuinely powerful sense of energy.Unfortunately, like pretty much all Fu Manchu albums in recent times, there are too many standard songs. Songs that start with a potentially interesting theme of riff, but just never really progress or evolve into anything worthwhile. I find myself getting bored in the second half of the album, and cannot therefore say this is a full return to the glory days.
M**T
Enter the unknown
You never quite know what to expect from the "chu", but one things for sure, this particular album packs some sort of punch. A few good tracks mixed with a few excellent ones, gives this album a good blend and a very satisfying sound. I cant stop playing it at the mo. Plus, for the price it goes for, you'd be mad not to buy it. If your a fan, you wont be disappointed !
A**E
Get it
Excellent, Excellent and thrice Excellent. Be warned, gratification for the ears. This is totally superb. They simply do not mess around here. This is vintage FM. Blows the other midgets of the genre out of the water. There is a definite case for the prefix 'The Mighty' to come before the bands name, cos thats what they are on this record. Well worth the wait.
H**E
Great quality - average content
Having been a FM fan for many years, I felt a bit let down after listening to this latest offering. OK, great recording quality, plenty of good high energy riffs and Scotts usual half sung - half spoken vocals, but a number of the songs seemed little more than directionless album fillers chucked together without a lot of thought and quite disjionted.Songs that stand out are 'We Must Obey', 'Lesson' and 'Let me Out'.Not in the same league as Eatin'Dust, Start the Machine, or No One Rides For Free.But I'll still be blasting it out in the truck...Coz I love them !!
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