April 13, 2026 by A.S. Van Dorston

Swedish fuzz rockers’ triumphant return after a decade gap.

Truckfighters were one of the hardest working road dogs of the original batch of Swedish stoner/fuzz/desert rock bands (Dozer, Lowrider, Mammoth Volume, Sgt. Sunshine), touring North America several times when many European bands have hardly ever crossed the ocean. It was understandable that they’d called a time out in 2017, as a band can sustain that pace for only so long. When I saw them for the first time in eight years at 2024’s Ripplefest in Austin, they were noticeably older. Dango had a gray beard and wasn’t jumping as high or as often as he used to, and the magical thick fuzz didn’t sound quite right in the mix that day. I had to accept that Truckfighters’ era was drawing to a close. Which is why I’m stunned at how incredibly great their sixth album is, released a decade after V (2016).

The album starts with the basics, the thwacking Neanderthal riffs that won over instant fans with “Desert Cruiser” a quarter century ago. From “Old Big Eye” and “The Bliss” to “The Gorgon” we’re immersed in riff overload, as if the band had rediscovered a box of riffs that went missing sometime between Gravity X (2005) and Mania (2009). This catchy simplicity is balanced by some of the band’s most impressive, accomplish songs in “Carver,” “Gath” and “Goin’ Home.” “Carver” is a master class in proggy tempo changes, dynamics and psychedelic atmospherics, one of their greatest songs. “Truce” extends the vibe of the album centerpiece with more subtle psychedelic atmospherics. “Gath” recalls countrymen Witchcraft with melancholic emotional tones and haunting doom psych textures. The closer “Goin’ Home” gives a taste in the band’s more diverse influences in 90s post-grunge and post-hardcore, particularly Fugazi.

Masterflow is a masterful addition to the pioneering band’s exceptionally consistent body of work, completing a stellar six album run. Long may Truckfighters fuzz.