Bison B.C. Dark Ages
by Trevor Portz
Staff Writer
It’s always a bit strange when a band comes around that seemingly contains all of the necessary ingredients to be great—technical skill, decent songwriting, a reasonably unique style—yet somehow manages to fall a bit flat. Such is the case with Bison B.C., whose new album, Dark Ages, seems to have in place all of the elements that exude greatness, but for whatever reason, it never quite delivers.
The songs that make up Dark Ages tend to reside somewhere in the doom/desert/stoner metal segment of the metal palate, with splashes of thrash and traditional metal mixed in for good measure. It is cool to see the standard sludgy, ominous doom riffs build into, or sometimes just be interspersed with, faster, more immediately aggressive bits. This mix helps to break the monotony that can sometimes be found on traditional doom releases, and also serves to make the slow parts feel even more dirge-like by countering them with more energetic sections. Unfortunately, however, the overall slower nature of the album tends to create a fair amount of boredom, and oftentimes songs seem to drone on a longer than is entirely necessary.
Most of the songs on Dark Ages blend into each other, and few songs make a lasting impression. Considering the album is only comprised of seven songs, this is a bit disheartening. Several songs—or at least parts of songs—do stand out among the crowd, however. “Melody, This Is For You” features an excellent midsection that is a bit reminiscent of early Alice Cooper (when Alice was a band, not just a frontman). It would not be out of place next to the brilliance of early Alice classics ala “Halo of Flies.” “Two-Day Booze” opens with an Iron Maiden-inspired riff, and features some nice double lead work. This type of not-quite power metal riffing is both effective and interesting to see smashed up against typical stoner power chordage.
As stated earlier, though, there just aren’t enough stand out moments to make the album (or band) truly memorable. As closing track “Wendigo Pt. 3 (Let Him Burn)” winds down, one is left feeling essentially unmoved and unmotivated to seek out anything more from Bison B.C., instead craving a quick dose of Kyuss, Electric Wizard, or even animal-monikered brethren Mastodon. It’s like Bison B.C. are diet soda when all you really want is whiskey.
It should be stressed that Dark Ages is far from being a bad album. There is nothing inherently wrong with the songs or the performances. In fact, in comparison to a large portion of what floods many airwaves and ipods, it’s pretty damn good. But with that in mind, the record also fails to be great, and for a band seemingly determined to create a skull crushing, heavy-as-hell album, it’s going to take a bit more to live up to the hype.
Genre: Doom Metal, Thrash Metal
Band:
James Farwell (g/v)
Dan And (g/v)
Masa Anzai (b)
Brad Mackinnon (d)
Track Listing:
1. Stressed Elephant
2. Fear Cave
3. Melody, This Is For You
4. Two-Day Booze
5. Die of Devotion
6. Take the Next Exit
7. Wendigo Pt. 3 (Let Him Burn)
Label: Metal Blade Records
Website: www.myspace.com/bisoneastvan
Hardrock Haven rating: 6.2/10