The Ghost of Fu Kang Walker – The Ghost of Fu Kang Walker

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From their EPK, “Described in a Facebook comment as "The Middle Earth of Lehigh Valley Stoner Metal," THE GHOST OF FU KANG WALKER stands out in a Pennsylvania music scene typically dominated by Top-40 cover bands. With vocals inspired by the vintage metal stylings of THIN LIZZY, DIO, and IRON MAIDEN, the band infuses 70's/80's era nostalgia with contemporary songwriting, creative hooks, and ultra-fuzzy bass riffs.” This is their debut EP, and it has five songs.

“Heaven’s Gate” is the first. It’s fuzzy and old-school, and the vocalist has a snarl in his delivery. The riff moves with some dance, but the sound is pretty straightforward, and the leads have some way behind them. “The Soothsayer” has an old-school swing to it, with the bass and rhythms in echoes, and the vocals are fairly animated. The chorus is thick with backing vocals and more wah from the guitars. The hooks are there for the taking, and I like the slowed-down, more ambient passage towards the end. “Out of Body Experience” features a bit of a dissonant sound, at least with the way the vocals seem disconnected with the music. I suppose this would be an audible depiction of what one would experience when going through this.

“Lord of the Dark” is definitely a darker sound, but it lightens with leads in the verses. The bottom end of this song is very heavy however, and the two styles wrestle to the death. “Wild Child” closes the album. It’s a shorter and faster moving song, but again, the vocals don’t connect well with the music. It’s not necessarily a tonation thing, but I just question why they would do this, other than to create a more dissonant sound. Overall, it was a tale of a few hits and a couple misses, but the album showed potential. For a long play, if the band can harness some more variety into the album, it could be a real banger, because they have the chops.

Songwriting: 6
Musicianship: 7
Memorability: 5
Production: 7