ALBUM REVIEW: I Like It – Fuzzriders

FUZZRIDERS is an Italian stoner rock quartet first formed in sun-drenched Sardinia back in 2017. After a few early lineup changes, the band released their debut self-titled EP in 2020 meaning I Like It, their debut full-length record, has been some time coming. Has it been worth the wait? Does it offer anything new to a scene that naturally always has at least one flare-covered foot in the past? Let’s dive into the fuzz and find out.

The album opens with the galloping title track, a classic swinging BLACK SABBATH riff a la Children Of The Grave with the fuzz pedals turned up to eleven, underpinned by the powerful rhythm section duo of bassist Cisco and drummer Carrasco. It’s a great opener, with some tasty wah-fuelled solos courtesy of guitarist Bonettu, although perhaps isn’t the most genre-twisting start you might hope for. What does stand out, though, is the vocal delivery of Willi, coming across as an intriguing blend of TOOL’s Maynard Keenan and desert rock pioneers KYUSS’ John Garcia.

Second track Sometimes eschews the SABBATH influences for a more 90s desert rock sound, with a riff that could have been created by FU MANCHU at their The Action Is Go peak. It grooves, it moves and once again is driven forward by the excellent stick work of Carrasco, whose playing is a highlight across the whole album. The desert rock influence continues to rear its head on Like A Worm which again has a heavy, early KYUSS feel to it although the vocals here lack some of the power that comparison might imply, although this is likely more an issue with the final mix of the album rather than the performance itself. If anything, this is a (minor) problem across each of the nine tracks on offer, where the vocals just sit a little too high and clean in the mix, effectively separating them from the rest of the band. Vocals have often been a bit of a love/hate thing with stoner rock anyway and even some of the greatest songs in the genre don’t necessarily have the best sounding vocals on them (Ozzy anyone?) so it’s probably something that most stoner and doom heads will easily get over.

One of the record’s highlights is I’m Rotten, which changes the formula up a touch, slowing things down and adding a bluesier feel to proceedings, led again by a stone cold classic riff from Bonettu, before switching into a jammy middle-eight and crashing back into the coda in double time. These changes, while not exactly turning things completely upside down, are certainly enough to maintain your interest and perhaps point the way to something a little more experimental in the band’s future.

I Like It is an album that is packed with plenty of full-on fuzz-fuelled rockers that would make an excellent soundtrack to any beer-and-weed-powered generator party and the likes of Can You Dance?, the AC/DC-esque On The Road and closing stomper Snake Skin are undoubtedly going to get the heads nodding and the feet tapping. However, without those additional “external influences”, you may find yourself feeling the whole thing lacks innovation. It’s an enjoyable debut album and one that promises even better things in the future. Stoner rock is never going to completely change but sometimes you feel like you need something that strays from its long-established formula and, for everything this album is, it isn’t that.

Rating: 6/10

I Like It is out now via Electric Valley Records.

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