I became an immediate fan of The Fucking Champs' IV and have been deeply into its brutal sounds all week. I think any fan of Priest or Iron Maiden would be psyched about this band, but (rather strangely) they seems to draw an indie rock crowd that (may) sadly mistake their work for mere parody or, even worse, irony.
I think they're for real and this is just pure, unadulterated metal music but, unlike most well known heavy acts, the album's (almost) entirely instrumental. The record will make you think of Frank Frazetta paintings, giant snakes, and many of the songs remind me of early video game music taken to its heaviest extreme.
Of course, this is all just my interpretation of an album that's likely to become a personal favorite. Many fans refuse to call the music 'metal' at all and the band itself is fairly enigmatic and obtuse about their image. I can't even find out if they're playing in NY anytime soon… their site only features a blank page of 2007 tour dates. I guess I'll just have to become your best friend if you inform me of their coming to the city.
But what do you think?