Following the hugely underrated debut from frontman Michael Mormecha under his Clown Parlour moniker last year, Lisburn's Mojo Fury are still having trouble getting noticed outside of their native Northern Ireland. It's a shame, because they have more fire in their belly than most of the hard rock bands on this island and enough genuine musicianship, individuality and quality songwriting skills to set them apart.
No doubt about it, 'Visiting Hours of A Traveling Circus' is an aggressive piece of work, dominated by cacophonous guitars and thunderously crashing drums, all plastered in glorious distortion. Yet it's the seemingly contradictory additions that make Mojo Fury more interesting to listen to than your average metal-influenced noisemongers. When 'Kill Cock Robin' breaks down into the chaos of senseless screams, rumbling bass lines and screeching feedback it's to be expected in this genre, but the appearance of a full brass section is uniquely delightful. Similarly, 'Pill Pigeon Is An Orange Wheel' abandons its sharp riffs halfway through to evolve into a poignant jazz coda with the repeated line "Catch a little sunshine in your soul and you will see everything" wrapped around improvisational trumpets.
As a songwriter, it sometimes feels as if Mormecha purposely conceals his true talents under oddball antics or hard-hitting noise, and in a way it all adds to Mojo Fury's intriguing personality, but there's such potential to be heard in these ten tracks, from the electro backdrop of 'We Should Just Run Away' to the sweet, touching harmonies and mammoth climax of 'Electric Sea'. A strong debut in itself, particularly in its field, Mojo Fury have all the ingredients to make the next one a real game changer.
