Fu Manchu

We Must Obey

[4.5/5] We Must Obey is the new Fu Manchu album. It has 11 songs. What more do you need to know? The band’s mastery of ’70s rock language remains total; the Ted Nugent-esque riff that anchors “Knew It All Along” is merely the first of a string of head-nodding, fist-pumping moments that make Obey far more than one more run down the highway for these van-dwelling amp-butchers. The staggeringly heavy funk of “Hung Out To Dry” is worthy of the James Gang, and Brad Davis and Scott Reeder introduce “Shake It Loose” with bass-and-cymbal action that makes guitarists Scott Hill and Bob Balch’s eventual entry that much more world-destroying. On one score, though, they fall short. Usually, the band’s covers are a pleasure to listen to, but their take on the Cars’ “Moving In Stereo” falls well short of the original’s creepy, high-tech-for-back-then menace. So only 10 of these 11 tracks kick ass. (CENTURY MEDIA) Phil Freeman