The Fucking Champs

The Fucking Champs lapped Led Zeppelin a few years ago in their quest for metal dominance. The muted power chord chops that the former band, now joined by Trans Am's Phil Manley, lift from weak, blues-based rock puts the Champs in the lead. Also, the Champs are two album titles past Zeppelin's IV. Do the math.

Details

The Fucking Champs perform on Saturday, April 7, at Bottom of the Hill at 10 p.m. Admission is $10; call 626-4455 or visit www.bottomofthehill.com for more info.

Bottom of the Hill

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More About

• Led Zeppelin
• Phil Manley
• Iron Maiden
• Jonah Flicker

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VI starts with a wallop of distortion. The Champs' double- and sometimes triple-harmonized guitars shamelessly recall the best moments of ...And Justice for All and early Iron Maiden, but with a musical intelligence and sense of humor that stave off any hesher cheese. But don't mistake musical jocularity for pandering to guilty pleasures. Even "Abide With Me," a 60-second national anthem, Fucking Champs-style, feels earnest in its awesomeness. And tracks like the fiercely rocking "A Forgotten Chapter in the History of Ideas" and the time signature-shifting workout, "Play on Words," are unaffected in their grandiosity.

Comedian Neil Hamburger puts in a guest appearance on "Fozzy Goes to Africa," although his contribution seems to be a single "hmm" midway through the tune (he reappears on a hidden track at the album's end). But the Champs' virtuoso shredding stands alone on this latest hard-rock symphony. — Jonah Flicker