Fear

Fear haven't recorded a record in six years and the only original member left is Lee Ving. After all, Spit Stix, Derf Scratch, Philo Cramer and Lee Ving were the definitive Fear and any other version of the band would be a pathetic imitation, wouldn't it? Well, Mr. Ving hasn't settled for second best, he's done his homework, drank many beers and constructed a band that sounds so much like the original version that one could only tell it was a different band by looking at the credits. American Beer is definitely the best effort Fear has released since The Record, and is probably on par with their sophomore release, More Beer. Not only does the music remain an excellent fusion of punk and jazz, but mass consumption of beer and women still seems to be the primary focus of Lee Ving's songwriting. However, women are no longer written of in Ving's notorious booze-fuelled sexist sense, he's now married with children and the ironically titled "I Don't Care Without You" is probably one of the best songs he's ever written and performed. Right from their cover of Willie Dixon's "Hoochie Coochie Man" to the alcohol-inspired "Bud Club," "Beer 30," "Beerheads" and "Another Christmas Beer," Fear dish up a drunken blast.