Fu Manchu - Black Tusk -- Black Cat - Sep 2 2010

Black Tusk - I immediately realize that I forgot both my glasses and my earplugs. As I went up close to the stage to see, I saw two double stacked Marshall amp set-ups and a very hard looking power trio plugging in. Eyesight will have to suffer, as I retreated to the sound board. The band kicked in and did indeed play a loud, hard set of metallic thumping. The songs were not at all memorable, but the sound was clear and strong and melodic enough to leave a good impression. It may have been a bit short of a band like Discharge, but in the thrash metal world. Great props to the band for taking limited breaks between songs, even while changing instruments. They had their sound down and put on a powerful display. I won't argue with this band as a worthy opening act for a heavy show. I think this Savannah trio will do well with heavy touring.

Fu Manchu - Apparently the estate of Sax Rohmer has not caught up with this California four-piece. So they continue to unleash their take on metal on this cross country tour. They have a nice sound that is a bit quicker than the Melvins, but not into the speed metal scene. They focus on power, good songs and at times some very creative vocal work. The first song was exceptional in the vocals area with two distinct voices and subsequent harmonies. I wish they would have done more of that and this would have been a rave review. It is still a positive review as the songs were good and the sound was rocking. The half-full club did have a good fan base for these guys and they played off of it well, including the playing of a bass line from Think Lizzy's "Jailbreak" which someone requested. I heard some Sabbath and Kyuss riffs and I even thought I was seeing David Eugene Edwards (Woven Hand/16Hp) fronting a metal band which worked. It got a little tedious for a song or two late in the set, but still an band worth checking out if you like these sort of sounds.

Quote of the Night: From Ginger Baker's autobiography, Hellraiser ... "When Cream folded, I got back into my drub habit big time, but Dr. Robertson helped me get clean again by prescribing Physeptone. It is a good way to come off and I did it 29 times in all over a period of 21 years!"