BYE M’FRIEND MASERATI, GOODBYE

I’m sitting here listening to to an advance promo of Maserati’s forthcoming album Pyramid of the Sun for the third time in just 24 hours, and it’s so good that I’m getting chills. So good for anyone, sure, as Maserati’s atmospheric, driving groove rock instantly captivated me the first time I saw them at SXSW 2009; so good for Maserati, as seemingly everything this band puts out is pure gold; and so good, first and foremost, when I think about how the drums were played by Jerry Fuchs, a master of his craft who was taken from us far before his time in a tragic accident in November of last year.

As one of Fuchs’ final recordings, Pyramid of the Sun stands firmly as a celebration of Fuchs’ legacy. The band belabored its completion for the better part of a year both before Fuchs’ death and after it. The press release that came with the promo claims Pyramid is “the most dynamic, melodic and tuneful Maserati album of the band’s decade-long career,” and I can’t disagree.

If you never saw Maserati live then I’m sad to say it’s going to be hard for me to capture the magic of Fuchs’ performances — and of Maserati as a whole — in words. The best I can offer you is a series of live videos Kip W. compiled shortly after his death and the video of “We Got the System to Fight the System,” a track from the new album, posted above. Fuchs was simply phenomenal; not flashy at all but still somehow obviously the lead member of the band, up on the edge of the stage in front of the other band members.

R.I.P. Jerry. I’m glad the band pushed ahead with this album to celebrate his legacy and introduce Maserati’s music to, hopefully, a whole new group of fans. Pyramid of the Sun comes out on November 9th via Temporary Residence.

-VN