Fozzy has been fighting an uphill battle since their inception. They originally formed as a cover-band with each member using a pseudonym. Guitarist “The Duke” was actually Rich Ward of Stuck Mojo fame and lead singer Mongoose McQueen was professional wrestler (and WWE’s first Undisputed Champion) Chris Jericho. The first two records were predominantly cover records and it wasn’t until 2004’s “All That Remains” that the band started releasing albums of all-original material. Since then the band has featured a revolving lineup around mainstays Ward and Jericho.

“Do You Wanna Start a War” is the fourth all-original album from Fozzy. Approaching his mid-40’s, Jericho has shifted his attention from wrestling to being a full-time metal vocalist and it’s shown in his improvement as a singer. He’s adopted a bit more snarl in his voice and the sound benefits from it greatly. DYWSAR is also their most varied record stylistically. “Lights Go Out”, “Tonight” and the title track are hooky fare. “Unstoppable”, “Died With You” and “Scarecrow” are arena-sized power anthems. My personal favourite, “Brides of Fire” is the riff-heavy high-speed rager. Thrown in for laughs (I hope?) is a ridiculous cover of ABBA’s “SOS”.

Fozzy is really coming into their own as an original band. If they haven’t yet shed their label as “that band with the wrestler in it”, it’s not because their music is lacking in quality. I thought “Chasing The Grail” from 2010 was better, but “Do You Wanna Start a War” isn’t bad at all.