Album Review: Fozzy – Boombox (Mascot Records/Mascot Label Group)

US Powerhouse rockers Fozzy will be releasing Boombox, their first studio album in 5 years, on May 6th via Mascot Records/Mascot Label Group.

Talking about the new album, frontman Chris Jericho emphatically explains:

Judas…both the album and the song was a HUGE breakthrough for Fozzy. It took us to the next level and positioned us as legit players at rock radio and as a live draw. As a result, we knew that we had to follow up with the album of a lifetime. BOOMBOX is that album! I firmly believe this is the third best album of our entire career!! (Of course I think it’s our best…but I always wanted to hear a band say that). So crank the volume and hold the BOOMBOX up to your earholes!! It’s gonna be a wild ride!

It’s been a one hell of a ride for Fozzy to date and while they might have as many haters as lovers, they’ve steadily been building a strong fanbase across the world. Fozzy have become a name that more and more people across the rock spectrum know and not just because of who fronts them.

While, it might be 5 years ago, Fozzy are clearly looking capitalise on the success that Judas brought and have a new album filled with radio-rock anthems. From beginning to end, you can hear any of these tracks getting wide-spread play and that will only enhance the profile of the band.

Is Boombox any good? Yes, it is. Probably the best Fozzy album to date, thanks to the band having a much clearer understanding of what they want to be. It’s all about hard rock anthems and the likes of Sane, Nowhere to Run, My Great Wall and The Worst Is Yet to Come deliver some of the album’s strongest efforts. Thanks to the synergy of the band and strong, sing-along choruses.

Heck even the ballad Army of One is undeniably catchy and the psychedelic touches featured in What Hell Is Like really make it stand out.

There’s no denying that Boombox has high production and sounds unnaturally clean at times. This can be off-putting at first but once you get used to it, it ends up feeling part of the Fozzy charm. A good example of this is I Still Burn, a proper grower of a track.

Elsewhere there are some interesting ideas, such as the moody and grunge-tinged Ugly on the Inside that has nods to Daphne and Celeste. Yes, you read that right, the pop-duo Daphne and Celeste who were responsible for ‘Ooh Stick You’ and U.G.L.Y, the latter being the track that Fozzy draw from with their chorus. It’s far more fun than it has any right to be.

Another is their unique cover of Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s Relax. One of those tracks were your opinion on the original will have a bearing on how you feel about this cover. Yes, Fozzy rock it up and add their own touches here and there, but it is instantly recognisable.

It goes without saying that the best way to enjoy this album is to not over-think it and see it for what it is. An album of anthemic rockers performed by a band that finally seem settled in what they want to be. If Fozzy weren’t considered a powerhouse act before, they will be once the dust settles on Boombox.

Fozzy – Boombox Full Track Listing:

1. Sane
2. I Still Burn
3. Purifier
4. Army Of One
5. Ugly On the Inside
6. Relax (Frankie Goes to Hollywood Cover)
7. Nowhere To Run
8. My Great Wall
9. What Hell Is Like
10. Omen
11. The Worst Is Yet to Come
12. The Vulture Club

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