FOZZY: Chasing the Grail

Produced by Rich Ward except *by Mike Martin

Released: January 20

Looking back, I reckon I was a bit hard on Fozzy's previous album, as it was much better than I gave it credit for. Even so, five years on and Chasing the Grail completely buries it in every way. This is without doubt the band's most complete and accomplished work to date, a grand combination of Chris Jericho and Rich Ward's vast influences and inspirations from the metal world into a coherent whole. It isn't perfect as "Broken Soul" and a couple of songs in the middle demonstrate, but trying to find a better example of powerful, aggressive pure metal in 2010 is going to take some doing.

Chasing the Grail shows how far Fozzy has become since their early days playing covers for a lark. It also confirms Jericho's abilities as a vocalist and songwriter, and Ward's devastating ability as a guitarist. The Duke's arsenal of catchy riffs is astounding and his lead guitar work is equally fearsome; there can be no question that he is one of the most under-rated players in metal. He's assisted here and there by Jeff Waters shredding the frets on a couple of tracks including the enormously grooving "Martyr No More", but this is not a guest-laden volume like All That Remains. This is Fozzy, pure and simple.

"Under Blackened Skies" is a huge opener that would overshadow every other song on an album by a lesser band, but Chasing the Grail is full of tracks just as good. "Let the Madness Begin" is a full-tilt rocker inspired by and sounding rather like Ozzy Osbourne around his Bark at the Moon period, "Pray for Blood" is complete savagery. Then again, "New Day's Dawn" is a misstep as it veers from poppy ballad (with Ward singing in a ridiculous falsetto) to a heavy grind and "God Pounds His Nails" is just OK. "Paraskavedekatriaphobia (Friday The 13th)" gets things back on track with some vicious cross-cutting riffs and "Revival" is also a keeper with a Gothic-sounding organ adding a second layer to the driving guitar attack.

As good as Chasing the Grail is up to this point, it is the final track that takes it to another level of awesome. "Wormwood" is Jericho's adaptation of the Book of Revelation, a 14-minute progressive power metal epic. Featuring a multitude of tempo changes, orchestration, a choir and some face-melting guitar from the song's composer and arranger, former member Mike Martin, this is the track that ultimately establishes Fozzy as a serious act, with no input from Rich Ward at all!

Chasing the Grail is a fabulous metal album, one of the best pure metal releases of this year for sure.

1. Under Blackened Skies
2. Martyr No More
3. Grail
4. Broken Soul
5. Let the Madness Begin
6. Pray for Blood
7. New Day's Dawn
8. God Pounds His Nails
9. Watch Me Shine
10. Paraskavedekatriaphobia (Friday the 13th)
11. Revival
12. Wormwood*

Rating: 89%