Review: Fozzy- Boombox

Five years after Fozzy solidified themselves as one of rock’s heavy-hitters with Judas, they’re finally back with Boombox and they continue their streak of strong records.  With a record as massive as Judas was, it was gonna be hard for the band to recapture that lightning in a bottle but they come damn close with this one and they follow the same path. With anthems like “Judas,” “Burn Me Out,” “Three Days in Jail” and “Drinking With Jesus,” it’s easy to forget how that record started to lose steam but they’ve picked it back up with Boombox.  With the COVID pandemic derailing album release plans, singles had started rolling out in late 2019 with “Nowhere to Run,” so fans have been preparing three years for this one.  By this time fans have heard “Nowhere to Run,” “Sane” and “I Still Burn,” which were all released early but the band has also been playing “The Vulture Club” and their Frankie Goes To Hollywood cover of “Relax” live for a minute now.  While fans have been able to get familiar with a lot of the record, there’s plenty of gems they haven’t heard yet- “Army of One” in particular.  This is one of the strongest ballads the band have put out yet and stands up there with “A Passed Life” and “Inside My Head” off Sin and Bones. This one should be their next major hit.  Fozzy has always been a fun live band but their music has always been super serious but with Boombox, they find ways to make the music reflect that and they do so with “Ugly on the Inside,” which features Chris Jericho chanting “U-G-L-Y, you ain\’t got no alibi. You’re ugly, ugly on the inside.” It’s just plain genius.  Lyrically, this record is dark. The band explores some deep subjects but does it in a way that you forget how dark it actually is, which is a testament to the music itself. With Boombox, Fozzy tries hard to surpass Judas and they do in some areas and don’t in other areas. While this record loses steam after about eight tracks, there’s plenty of gold in it. Just like every Fozzy record, there’s songs where you can dance to and others you can headbang to and Boombox stands right up with the rest of the band’s records.  In the end, this is just a fun record and the band made a record that was well worth the five-year wait.  Rating: 7/10 -Reggie Edwards