Fozzy

Product description

Fozzy: Duke LaRue (vocals, guitar); Shawn "Sports" Pop (vocals, bass); Moongoose McQueen (vocals); The Kidd (guitar); KK LaFlame (drums). Additional personnel: Chuck Barry, Andy Sneap, Butch Walker, Marvelous 3. Recorded at AudioArt Studio, Smyrna, Georgia. Includes liner notes by Shoji Mochizuki. Audio Mixer: Andy Sneap. Recording information: AudioArt Studio, Smyrna, GA. Although the concept of Fozzy -- an American metal band trapped in Japan for 20 years finds that its material has been stolen by other artists -- suggests parallels with Spinal Tap, there's one very important difference: Spinal Tap wrote all its own original material, whereas Fozzy sticks exclusively to covers. So, in practice, when it's divorced from the story line of the accompanying web broadcasts, Fozzy just feels like an excuse for Chris Jericho and Stuck Mojo to perform their favorite early-'80s metal songs. But, considering that Fozzy is in reality a rap-metal band fronted by a professional wrestler, the album is surprisingly not bad. Jericho is a more than competent vocalist, and despite an occasional tendency to go a little too far over the top ("Over the Mountain" and the spoken intro to "The Prisoner"), he generally acquits himself well. The band, meanwhile, injects enough technical flash and showmanship to sound like a genuine early-'80s metal outfit. What's more, the all-around enthusiasm for this music is readily apparent (either that, or faked really well); it's played straight all the way through, with no attempts to make anything into ironic kitsch. So, all in all, the project turned out as well as was probably possible. Still, since these are all covers of fairly familiar items, Fozzy the album can't really stand on its own; it will likely be appreciated mainly by fans of the web series or of the people involved. ~ Steve Huey

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There's not much room in the world for a sub-par Spinal Tap ... unless it's in the anything-sells world of professional wrestling. And Fozzy, a mostly fictional band fronted by the very real wrestler Chris Jericho (in the persona of singer Mongoose McQueen), will likely find an audience only inside WWF arenas. Not that the band Fozzy, rounded out by the real rock/metal lineup of Stuck Mojo, with alter-egos such as KK La Flame and the Kidd, is bad. In fact, they're an adequate cover band serving up decent renditions of second-echelon songs from top-drawer metal bands. Tunes by the Scorpions, Dio, Judas Priest, Motley Crue, Ozzy Osbourne, and Krokus are Fozzy-ized, topped with Jericho/McQueen's slightly irritating, high, pop-leaning metal vocals. Like Spinal Tap, the band is an elaborate ruse with an extensive fake history, only sans the humor. Yes, old-school metal is as over the top as wrestling. And yes, the Jericho association might sell albums. But on their own merit, Fozzy will likely amuse only rabid wrestling fans. --Katherine Turman