Fu Manchu

Riff-driven garage rock may have lately found a new audience thanks to bands like the White Stripes and the Black Keys, but the revivalism of '70s-inspired guitar-heavy opuses has its origins in stoner rock: the sludgy, psychedelic metal made famous by Kyuss, Monster Magnet and pack leaders Fu Manchu.

Formed in 1985 and originally performing under the name Virulence, the band has since become one of American rock's most celebrated underground acts.

Describing themselves as "Black Flag meets Black Sabbath with Ace from KISS on vocals," the Southern California-based outfit released their garrulous debut offering, If This Isn't a Dream, in 1989, an album inspired by the objects and visions of their native surroundings, including vintage muscle cars, skateboarding and dusty sunsets.

Two decades later, the band's muscular Black Sabbath and Cream riffage, played out over undulating rhythms layered with washes of guitar and distortion, is at odds with a musical climate obsessed with pop and '80s revivalism. Fu Manchu, however, are clearly not fazed by current trends.

"Hopefully rock will come full circle, and it will go back to guitars, bass and drums," says front man Scott Hill. "I'm not really into adding a lot of computer effects. We've always been about the four of us getting into a room and basically going one, two, three ... go!"

"We listen to everything from ZZ Top and AC/DC to old hardcore punk-rock stuff," he adds. "We pretty much share the same influences."

Although If This Isn't A Dream earned Fu Manchu a loyal cult following, it was their major label debut, 1996's In Search Of... that introduced them to a wider audience.

Packed with visionary, otherworldly jams such as "Redline" and "Cyclone Launch," the album became the cornerstone of the stoner rock movement.

To mark the 15th anniversary of the album's release, this month the band will re-release the LP on limited edition heavyweight vinyl and will perform the record in its entirety for the first time.

"This is the first and maybe the last time we'll be playing these tunes," Hill says. "It's a pretty monumental occasion."

Having toured with bands including Monster Magnet, Marilyn Manson and White Zombie, Fu Manchu clearly know a thing or two about showmanship. In keeping with their rock and psychedelic forebears, onstage the band step out through a haze of smoke with their stately presence lit by a bank of swirling spotlights.

Delivering their heavy riffs and swampy rhythms with the nonchalant confidence of a band that has traversed the far reaches of the globe more than once, Fu Manchu's intense and urgent performances certainly feel like a revelation.

While this latest tour might find the band excavating an album that was recorded 15 years ago, they clearly still have a great deal of ambition.

Released last year, Signs of Infinite Power, channeled the deep sludge and motorik rhythms of Fu Manchu's earlier releases while fine-tuning their melodies for the first time.

Produced by Motörhead engineer Sergio Chavez, the album skillfully brought together the group's surf-punk energy and desert rock crunch. Although it was well received, critical plaudits clearly don't mean much to Fu Manchu.

"We don't really set out to make a certain kind of record," Hill says. "We just get together and whatever comes out that's it. We don't pay attention to what's out there. If our music catches on, cool. If not, it doesn't matter."

Andrew Fenwick can be reached at
afenwick@praguepost.com