Mr. Mama

Fikkas
First of all, let me preface this review by saying that I’m completely biased because the lead singer, Guy Peters, is a good friend of mine. Secondly, let me assure you that that little fact hardly matters, as I’d be praising Mr. Mama, anyway. So, with that bit of info. out of the way, let me get down to explaining why. Simply put, these guys have a knack for kickass, groove-based hard rock music, and though the band’ s influences (Black Sabbath, Kyuss, Rollins Band) are obvious, so is the band’s passion, sincerity, and talent. Label them “stoner rock” if you must, but the band at least tries to add a little variety, with a trio of fun tongue-in-cheek “wasted” songs (“Wasted,” “Wasted - Let’s Get It On,” “Wasted - And Then Some”), a funny false start to one song, and even a jokey finale (“Cropdusting For Dummies”) that works surprisingly well. Elsewhere, my two favorite songs (“The Race Is On,” “Fikkas Must Vanish”) don’t even feature vocals until 2:20 and 4:48, respectively, as these guys really know how to build up the tension of a song. When the release does come the rewards are well worth it, and though I often don’t know what he’s singing about (screaming about is more like it), Peters obviously means it, and the rhythm section (Patrick Remans, drums; Danny Czekaj; bass) is tight as a drum and inventive with the dynamics. For his part, guitarist Roel Paulussen has learned well from the school of Homme and Iommi, and there are plenty of potential song highlights. There’s the surging groove of “Finger,” the slower, droney doom rock of “Eddie Tickle” (on which Guy actually speak sings along with a catchy groove, though of course he screams his head off on the chorus), the cool slithering riffs and breakneck beats of “Down,” the thrashy grind of “That Knife Is Rather Blunt,” the spacey, more atmospheric “Pull The Plug,” and the absolutely HUGE sounding “All Is Well,” for example. Perhaps the album gets a bit samey sounding over the course of its 51 minutes, but there’s not much in the way of filler, as the band’s short ‘n fast throwaways and long moody epics all share the same impressive drive that propels all their songs. It ain’t pretty most of the time, nor is it meant to be, but if you like low-tuned riffs, hard-hitting rhythms, a lead screamer with serious pipes who you wouldn’t want to meet in a dark alley, and solid, occasionally inspired songwriting, then this boys-will-be-boys-band of Belgian badasses are for you. Fikkas can be ordered via the band's Web site at http://www.mrmama.com, or you can email the band directly at band@mrmama.com.

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