ninehertz

The first time I heard Black Sabbath in my teens as a devout stoner rock fan heading to Ozzfest, I distinctly remember thinking – for a few seconds at least – “this sounds like everyone else”, until it clicked why. I mention this here because I wouldn’t be surprised if there are young newcomers to stoner rock who may think the same of Truckfighters, and that distinctive sound they created, now much copied by bands that followed them.

That speaks to two things – the status and importance of the band, who single handedly rejuvenated the genre at its lowest point in the mid-00s, and how, even by remaining pure to the sound still created something new via their guitar tone, very specifically Truckfighters – until others came along and mimicked them.

To have them still around is a joy. All of the elements that made their debut an instant classic – that tone, the liberal splattering of riffs, the fantastic vocals – all remain, but crucially they’ve never tried to simply create Gravity X 2, showing changes through song writing growth and maturity on every album since, including here two decades later.

The opening trio of songs warm the soul and bring back good memories. Old Big Eye packs a real crunch into its stoner riffs, while The Bliss gets the bit between its teeth and has a spectacular last few minutes. There’s a gnarliness to Carver which is oft forgotten they have in their armoury.

There’s a welcome change of styles through Truce which morphs from acoustic beginnings through punk outbursts to an almost folk ending, displaying their evolution, before a generally more mellowed out second half to the album. They still feel like the new kids on the block, still bringing the life to a genre that badly needed it. And even though that’s patently not true, that they have been at this for a long time now, it is testament to their enduring spirit and songcraft that Masterflow makes you feel this way.