Review Summary: Yeah
It’s been 5 long years since Sasquatch graced us with new music. 2017’s
Maneuvers was one of their most focused affairs and while still on rotation in my playlist, a new LP was long overdue. Thankfully, news about
Fever Fantasy dropped out of nowhere last month, alongside first single “It Lies Beyond the Bay”. As expected, the song oozes blazing hard rock riffs and powerful vocals. Its sound is representative of this latest record, since the band forges full steam ahead with scorchers. The production is a tad muddier this time, adding to the overall grit. Songs such as “Lilac”, “Cyclops” or “Witch” benefit most from these sonic related decisions. The guitars are raging, pushing their way between pounding drums and sturdy bass lines. “Lilac” hits hard with raucous riffage, but the melodic choruses make for a nice contrast. Meanwhile, “Cyclops” shares cool, wavy breaks amid straightforward verses and Hammond organ augmented hooks. The group usually includes at least one massive groove per album you could tear down walls with. These two are perhaps the most potent here to do the job.
Moving further,
Fever Fantasy’s middle stretch diversifies things a bit. You get the slow burner “Ivy”, which features a steady, blues influenced beat. It doesn’t take long for the phaser soaked guitars to give way to a wall of distortion. After another round of keyboards assisted choruses, the inevitable epic guitar solo takes off for a grandiose finale of the tune’s heavy section. As it gently fades away with the opening chords, “Ivy” provides a nice tempo break, before we dive into hip shaking territory. “Part of Not Knowing” & “Save the Day, Ruin the Night” contain party starter melodies with added fuzz. I enjoy especially the pace switching during the second half of the former, whereas the urgent vocal delivery works really well over the latter's intense, swinging riffs. If there was one thing that needed a slight improvement here, it would be the bass’ presence during the heavy moments. At times, it could have been pushed a bit to the front, because there are some smooth details that can’t be heard unless you crank the volume. Otherwise,
Fever Fantasy is another strong entry in Sasquatch’s catalog, proving they are still one of the leading hard rock/stoner acts from the US.
