FOOBAR THE BAND

Foobar The Band are yet another Swedish band (that'a hell of a music scene they must have over there) who hail from Gothenburg. They formed in 2005 and ‘Your Fiend, My Friend’ is their second album release, following on from ‘Hellride’. The band are made up of Jonny Zasella on vocals, guitarists Anders Karlsson and Dennis Brandeby, and the rhythm section of bassist Janneck Larsson and drummer Tim Ferm. The album kicks off with 'My Friend' and comes across as an up tempo grunge/nu metal/stoner crossover track. Next up is 'Catch 22' which is slightly reminiscent, to me at least, of Alice in Chains and is played with energy but has a loose feel to it and is the antithesis of the precise, almost cold production values that a lot of bands, particularly of the 'progressive metal' type, seem to strive for these days. '18 Years' follows and has a good groove to it that brings to mind that underrated 90s band, Mindfunk. The rest of this release ploughs pretty much the same furrow with the same loose style, some good grooves but all the while retaining a heavy edge. 'All About You' features a good, but brief, acoustic intro before the rain storm sound effects intervene, sounding like the beginning to 'Black Sabbath', minus the tolling bell, while 'Queen of Fools' and 'All Right' showcase some neat layered riffing. All in all, this is an okay release. The music doesn't really grab me but credit should be given to the band for at least trying to create their own style which is probably a good idea in these days of overcrowded sub-genres in rock/metal. As previously stated the band's energy comes across well and, for this reason, they be one of those groups, and there are many, who are better live than on cd.

LABEL:

FORMAT:

Sound Pollution

Album

YOUR FIEND, MY FRIEND

Review by Dave Uphill

RUNNING TIME:

44:26

RELEASE DATE:

24th July 2009

TRACK LISTING

1) My Friend
2) Catch 22
3) 18 Years
4) Revolution
5) Dawning of a Day
6) All About You
7) Communication
8) Queen of Fools
9) Natural
10) All Right
11) Moonshine

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:

Sweden

"...credit should be given to the band for at least trying to create their own style..."