Stoner Rock veterans FU MANCHU return with their twelfth album of arid sun bleached sounds with the desert distinctive ’Clone Of The Universe’. This impressive release kicks off with the hazy hammer fury of ‘Intelligent Worship’. There’s no soft opening here just a blast of well-crafted coyote Rock ‘N’ Roll. Next up is the masterfully rich flow of ‘(I’ve Been) Hexed’ which incorporates Classic, Modern, Grunge and a slice Stoner Rock, all under one reverberating roof. ‘Don’t Panic’ tears out of the speakers with breathless lung threatening Punk urgency that punches you right between the legs. The psychedelic opening on ‘Slower Than Light’ morphs into a Sabbath full-on fuzz anthem of varying paces and more-ish musical textures. The beauty of ‘Clone of The Universe’ is the not knowing which turn, if any, each song will take. ’Nowhere Left To Hide’ chugs along the Grunge highway coughing out dirty black fumes of Metal from Scandinavia while the title track and lead single is a head nodding ageless tub-thumper. The final surprise comes in the form of the seventh and final track ’II Mostro Atomico’ which features Rush’s Alex Lifeson and weighs in at an eye-watering 18.07 minutes. The song is broken down into four different sections which canter off, dragging the listener by the ears and heading towards the sandstorm sunset. Diverse, intelligent, well lit Rock ‘N’ Roll, Fu Manchu style.