Straight from the department of late reviews comes our thoughts on Bison’s CD “Inside Out”, which was released back in April. With a slight change in line-up; bassist to be exact, due to an unfortunate Canadian Moose related incident!
Opening with “Colours” you know exactly what you are in for – a large slab of addictive riff-based heavy Rock, and not just for the sake of it! They lay down everything in a powerful opening – don’t get me wrong; this not brutal, but well-crafted melodies that pack a punch.
The rifle is taken up a notch with “Scratch My Name”, and you almost feel at the track opening that poor old Zander on drums is trying to keep up! Things soon flow at a more respectable pace until the course ups the tempo. And that bassline towards the tracks end is something else.
The title track opens a little differently to the two tracks previously, but soon it all comes back to what you were led to expect! The vocal delivery is slower, in a nice raw way, and the guitar work is a little more punchy than just a wall of power. With some nifty guitar work you are left more than a little shellshocked.
“Crashing Down” is an addictive little number that closes with the repeating “What do I know, then its over?”, and is a sure fire track for hitting repeat just to have that rhythm wash over you as your heart is pumping. The energy continues with ‘Some Beggars Can Be Choosers’ giving the listener a slice of life to reflect upon. All the while the guitars do their work and pull you into the lyrics, and another addictive baseline rears its head again just making sure you are paying attention!
“The Space Between Our Lives” keeps that energy and momentum going with yet another addictive track. There are a couple of breaks that let you briefly pause for breath while showing off another side to the guitar work, allowing for a little bit of light noodling.
Closing off this rather long EP (7 tracks is a mighty number for an EP these days, especially when you consider there are no remixes or acoustic versions) is “Grip The Blade”. A slightly slower track that provides an interesting closer to the album. It does not have the same energy as the tracks that preceded but shows the band flexing themselves with a slightly different approach. The drum work seems a little more prominent and the breaks take on a different feel, perhaps a little more Alt/Rock than “hard” Rock. Not a criticism but an observation, plus it shows the band have a more than just hard Rock in their arsenal.
This one mighty fine follow-up to 2013s ‘Origins’ which saw them burst onto the scene, and this is no exception! Throughout there is clarity that prevents chaos taking over, but all the time the energy pumping out is crystal clear in its delivery. There are carefully formed melodies weaving in and out of the hard Rock, and an energy that must be hard to tap. On top of all of this are some well-rounded songs.
They say their day jobs got in the way, hence the 2 years between recordings – always a tricky line to walk, especially if raising funds for studio time. Was it worth the wait? Hell yes! Do they think they still won’t be signed? Who knows, but this is one mighty fine album, and if they still harbour that ounce of doubt and paranoia then someone had better sign them quick! Let’s hope there is not another 2 year wait for the next release.
Who wouldn’t sign a band whose interests are listed as; “Bisons we really like bisons.”
Check out the album here, and put your hands in your pockets.
Line Up
Vocals & Drums – Zander Bell
Guitars – Jo Lazari
Bass – Richard Glover
Track Listing
Colours
Scratch My Name
Inside Out
Crashing Down
Some Beggars Can Be Choosers
Space Between Our Lives
Grip The Blade
Links
https://www.facebook.com/bisonbanduk
http://bisonbanduk.bandcamp.com/
Words by Jon.
…last minute update from the Dept. of Lateness, Bison have posted; Saturday December 5th will be our “farewell” gig.
