ALBUM REVIEW: Foxy Shazam – Animality Opera

‘…Foxy Shazam can write incredible music, yet insist on shooting themselves in the creative foot at any given moment…’

Oh Foxy Shazam, what are we going to do with you?

To be a fan of Foxy Shazam has been a difficult ride. The Cincinnati glam rockers released their cult favourite debut record ‘Flamingo Trigger’ back in 2005, but the band wouldn’t receive major attention until their phenomenal self-titled record in 2010. Then in 2014, the band not only announced a hiatus, but left bands with their weakest album to date, the poorly mixed and weirdly constructed ‘Gonzo’.

The announcement of their reunion in 2020 was celebrated far and wide, with listeners assuming it would be a return to the heyday of their earliest material. Instead, since then, it has been one poor release after another, with the exception of 2023’s somewhat decent ‘Dark Blue Night’. That record showed Foxy Shazam finally bringing back some of the ‘Shazam’ they were famed for, and gave long-time fans a hope that things would be improving. With this latest record, however, that couldn’t be further from the case.

‘Animality Opera’ is an immensely frustrating listen, featuring good ideas that the band seem hellbent on driving into a ditch. The mixing issues that have plagued the band for several albums are perhaps at their worst ever here. No instruments pop, Eric Nally’s vocals sound buried, and the rapped and spoken segments are absolutely horrendous; not only are they so loud as to genuinely hurt your ears, they are drenched in an irritating, pointless reverb effect.

‘Treacherous Pursuit’ is an unlistenable mess, whilst ‘Karaoke Pain’ has gospel vocals that pack no power whatsoever. ‘You Don’t Judge The Birds’ features a sunny The Beatles inspired climax, but is bogged down by irritating vocal harmonies that screech alongside Nally’s often strained melodies. Furthermore, at any given moment, those atrocious spoken passages seem ready to sneak in and completely demolish any momentum or enjoyability the album conjures up.

‘Empire Of The Vampire’ sounds like a demo of a genuinely cool track, harnessing the theatrical potential of Foxy Shazam. The terribly flat mixing at gravelly backing vocals, however, hold it back from being anything else. ‘Jack Tar’ features a groovy guitar melody and cruising rhythm, but like a disease infecting every element of this album, those spoken passages once again leave a gaping crater in the middle of the track.

Perhaps the most painful thing, however, is how good the opening two tracks are. Unquestionably, ‘Rhumbatorium’ and ‘Pink Sky’ are, at their cores, the best material this band have written in five albums. The emo roots of this band shine through, and are elevated with a theatrical flair. Certainly, the mixing remains atrocious, but that’s sadly become something to accept from Foxy Shazam.

‘Uncreated’ offers a moment of respite from poor creative choices in the album’s back half, with the sparse instrumentation and subdued nature permitting Nally’s weathered vocals space to breathe. Yet by the end of ‘Joseph’, it seems clear that the Foxy Shazam that wrote their incredible early material is never coming back; those that had stayed with the band to see if they could dig themselves out of this creative rut have been rewarded with let down after let down, and this may well prove to be the breaking point.

It’s heartbreaking, because Foxy Shazam can write incredible music, yet insist on shooting themselves in the creative foot at any given moment. If this band have been a slow motion car crash to behold, then ‘Animality Opera’ is the moment of impact. Yes, good ideas may exist here, but good ideas do not a good album make.

Sometimes, quitting is okay.

RATING: 36/100 – Poor

For Fans Of: Queen, Forgive Durden, Panic! At The Disco

Physical copies are available to purchase here.

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