Happenstance (CD - 2002)

Fozzy: Moongoose McQueen (vocals); Duke Larue (guitar, keyboards, background vocals); The Kidd (guitar); Claude "Watty" Watson (bass); KK LaFlame (drums, background vocals).

Additional personnel: The Superbz, Jim Blanchard, Jesse Covington, Travis Cole, Allison Neller, MJ Lloyd, The St. Hubbins Pentecostal Pale Young Boys Choir (vocals); Lord Edgar Bayden Powell (guitar).

Recorded at Brannon Productions, Atlanta, Georgia.

Personnel: Jim Blanchard, Marie Lloyd (vocals).

Audio Mixer: Andy Sneap.

Recording information: Brannon Productions, Atlanta, GA.

Despite its status as a side project for wrestling star Chris Jericho and his friends in Stuck Mojo, Fozzy can still deliver some solid heavy metal. Unlike the first album, this is not a cover-only affair. Jericho and guitarist Rich Ward do their best to write songs that can hang with the Judas Priest and Iron Maiden covers they attempt here. And in a lot of ways, the original songs come off more effectively than the covers. This is no doubt because of the group's passion for power metal, which translates into catchy and solid songs, like the tense "To Kill a Stranger" and the pounding title track. Jericho's delivery is right on, dropping the semi-shouting he displayed on the last album and replacing it with a gruff banshee wail. His voice might waver at moments, but no worse than half the metal singers they pay tribute to here. The covers are less effective, but W.A.S.P.'s "L.O.V.E. Machine" gets a vicious run through that certainly ranks with Fozzy's best performances, and "Balls to the Wall" fits Jericho's strained growl perfectly. Nothing here is groundbreaking or essential, but this is a consistent album that would've easily landed them on Noise Records during the heyday of power metal. And the original songs prove that the band has a lot of potential outside of the gimmicky cover approach they started with, leading to leaner and more efficient sophomore effort from the boys in Fozzy. ~ Bradley Torreano minimize