ALBUM REVIEW: Masterflow- Truckfighters

Fuzz, fuzz and more fuzz. But what else can we expect from TRUCKFIGHTERS? With a mammoth 10 years standing between new album Masterflow and their last outing, the Swedish face-melters make a juggernaut return with an album packed to the brim with bombastic riffs and blistering melodies set to a sweet backdrop of psychedelic excellence.

Kicking off with Old Big Eye and The Bliss, the first offerings dust off the cobwebs with shamelessly balls-to-the-wall, beefy, unadulterated guitar hooks, served up in a manner only the two-piece are capable of. It’s undoubtedly satisfying and a real meat and veg approach to kick off the first album in a decade.

But as we stray into album highlight Carver, the band pivots away from the straight edge with a much more adventurous psychedelic escapade. This track, despite being so early on, stands as the benchmark for the album and we’re offered some much-needed complexity. It’s meditative, it’s calming and as you reach peak zen, you’re rather abruptly sucker-punched by an onslaught of juggernaut, mind-warping riffs.

From here on out, there’s no looking back. Lead singer Oskar “Ozo” Cedermalm navigates the cosmic realm at their command with searching melodies soaring over the crashing of psychedelic waves. All the while, the guitar solos fly beyond the terrain of our mortal world and the acoustic riffs and calming grooves scattered here and there offer respite in the chaos.

There’s also a noticeable suave simplicity that glues the sonic landscape of the record. But the real brilliance of this album is that TRUCKFIGHTERS know how to flesh out their work without completely diluting it. Many stoner/psychedelic/doom bands fall into the trap of only really knowing how to go one speed and refuse to switch gears. Whilst you get some cool sounds with this approach, you don’t typically get a great album.

Masterflow is anything but that. It’s layered, it’s composed, and most importantly it’s quite unpredictable. The guitar work is the greatest example of what the band have in their locker. The electrifying fuzz heavy riffs scattered across the album harness the power to steal lightning from a storm. Yet it’s not so abrasive that it’s going to decimate the cosmic psychedelic tones that have been so carefully layered across the tracks. The calm and the chaos can exist as one and there’s a harmonious fluidity to the otherwise diverse elements where they complement and build upon one another.

If we have to sum up this record, it’s a powerful psychedelic record for all occasions. You can of course head-bang and chug a beer to the stomping riffs as one would expect. But you can also light a candle, roll out a yoga mat and embark on a journey of zen and inner peace. You can do both if you want. No judgement here.

Rating: 8/10

Masterflow is set for release on April 10th via Fuzzorama Records. 

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