Album Review: Fozzy – Judas (Century Media)

Judas is the seventh studio album by the American heavy metal/hard rock band Fozzy. It was released on October 13, 2017 through Century Media Records.

Credit where credit is due, for the most part Fozzy have managed to move away from just being WWE superstar Chris Jericho’s rock band. Seven albums in & they command a sizeable fanbase which has always surprised me considering just how plain & uninspired their brand of heavy rock seems to be.

Going into Judas expectations were low so it was nice to be pleasantly surprised to get a more ‘balls out’ & catchy sounding opener. Jericho’s voice has always been a bit of a bone of contention for me so it’s good to hear it lacking a lot of whine. As radio friendly as you can get, it leans heavily towards the chorus.

Drinkin With Jesus & Painless offer no surprises. Hard rock tunes that follow a simple formula with the latter having a real early Linkin Park style about it particularly in the chorus. It’s inoffensive stuff that seems to be the whole reason the term ‘middle of the road’ was created.

Unfortunately for Fozzy they do throw out the odd stinker too. Weight of My World is teeth-achingly poppy & effects driven, Burn Me Out sounds like it has been written specifically to be played in clubs and Three Days in Jail’s rap-metal moments are likely to induce PTSD of the late 90’s metal scene.

Of the eleven tracks, it’s the likes of Judas, Wordsworth Way & Elevator that stand out. Each offering straight-forward rock that can at least be called ‘fun’. The most memorable tracks on the album provided you try to ignore the lyrics.

Never considered a strong point of Fozzy, some of what is heard here is cringeworthy. It’s amazing that singing the words ‘I’m your elevator’ wasn’t enough to halt proceedings let alone the hefty amount they are said throughout.

The album peters out after the bouncy beat of Elevator. The final three tracks blazing past at pace without making even the smallest of impressions. It just ends in such a ‘meh’ way leaving you expecting but not necessarily looking for more.

Fozzy fans will likely come away feeling satisfied with at least a handful of the tracks but even the most hardcore will have a hard time defending the bad here.

Fozzy – Judas Full Track Listing:

1. Judas
2. Drinkin With Jesus
3. Painless
4. Weight of My World
5. Wordsworth Way
6. Burn Me Out
7. Three Days in Jail
8. Elevator
9. Running With the Bulls
10. Capsized
11. Wolves at Bay

Check it out yourself via Apple Music below & keep up to date with Fozzy news via Facebook.