Lineup
Dan And - Guitar/Vocals
James Farwell - Guitar/Vocals
Masa Anzai - Bass
Brad McKinnon - Drums


Bison are a four piece heavy (heavy, heavy) metal band from Vancouver, Canada. This is their second release and is on the back of some heavy touring, spreading the name of Bison b.c far and wide. I just want to start by saying this is an excellent album, where each song has its own identity and there is little to no filler.

My favourite tracks are numbers 1, 3 and 6. An opening dirge from Dan And with lead singer James Farwell on track 1, “Stressed Elephant”, sets the tone deliciously – poignant yet intense, geeing you up when he roars into the track about 1:55 in. His vocals balance perfectly against screaming guitars and as soon as the vocals enter the fray, the song’s tempo kicks up a notch. Your head starts rocking and trying to stop it is futile. The track ebbs and flows like a restrained beast seeking freedom although it is obvious that no one can restrain this Bison. The third track starts differently to the trend set before it with some very psychedelic guitar plucking that descends into an orgy of war percussion and guitar interference. Titling the track ‘Melody, This Is For You’ and then indulging in a dirty mosh out of a track is typical attitude to expect from these bone-smashing quadrupeds. As usual, the track has you nodding then moshing then nodding again. Number 6 “Take The Next Exit” displays the guitar mastery the front two have at their disposal and their willingness to mix up their styles between songs.

The rest of the album is of a similar vein and I must say I am surprised to have never heard of these guys before coming across this release. Their music isn’t extremely commercial (at an average running time of 6:30 that much is indicated) and I can’t imagine these guys would be willing to sell out to the masses any time soon. This is the kind of band who play for the sake of playing, who would do a set to a single man and his dog if they were all that turned up. Bison b.c. might not come to you but I would strongly recommend you come to them – watch out for those horns though…

See more and hear more about Bison at: Bison b.c.(Tour Dates Up NOW!) on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Videos