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Album Reviews : Riff Fist – Fistful of Riffs

By on June 17, 2013

a2690047427_2Within the first few seconds of Riff Fist’s debut EP, Fistful of Riffs, I was hooked. Opening with a drum line and a riff so distorted and crisp it immediately brought Clutch and Frankenbok to mind, there is such a fantastic groove/stoner rock feel to opening track “Spud King” that it had me headbanging almost instantly with a smile planted firmly on my face. The vocal style and bass work of Cozza (who sounds surprisingly similar to David Lee Roth at times) is perfectly tailored to this style of music, and I could believe after this track that this guy really is a massive, bearded lover of potatoes. Casey and Grondo equally give it their all belting out the distorted, droning style that is stoner rock. Casey’s riffs are dirty and rough, and the drum work of Grondo is sharp and crisp.

“Fingerless Ben” is a solid effort from the band, with so much distortion to the riffs and bass that you could probably recreate the scene from Scanners where the guy’s head explodes.

The simplest way to define the track, “Riff Stew”, is that these riffs are damn catchy. Grondo’s drumming flows in time with Casey’s riffs, and this song is only further heightened by the amusing commentary provided courtesy of Cozza.

Being the last track on the EP, “Ride the Pony” is a slow-burning track that progressively builds to a stoner-fuelled eruption of the senses. Once this track begins, it never lets up and just keeps getting better as it burns its way through eight minutes of inebriated goodness.

This is the sort of album you feel you have to hide from your family, for fear of the shame you’d get from the dirty, sleazy pub vibe that it has. I’m sure all the puffy pub rats, whose fur now stands tall thanks to the fuzzy distortion in the room, would agree too.

Band: Riff Fist
Album: Fistful of Riffs
Year: 2013
Genre: Stoner rock
Label: Independent
Origin: Melbourne
http://rifffist.bandcamp.com/

Track list:
1. Spud King
2. Fingerless Ben
3. Riff Stew
4. Ride the Pony

About

Jonathon is an aspiring fantasy/sci-fi novelist and music journalist. Thanks to the influence of the music he grew up with, he has always possessed a keen interest in metal and rock. He is also a huge fan of mythology, legend, and folklore from all across the world. You should follow him on Twitter.