If ever there was a worthy would-be soundtrack contending as an ode to the challenging contrasts of everyday life, then the 5th full-length release from Vancouver-based Sludge Rockers BISON is perfect for you. It is heavy, gritty, dirty and riffy with masterfully juxtaposed textures of weighty grind, soulful groove and moody melody. To prepare your ears for exactly what you are about to experience with songs like 'Drunkard' and 'Tantrum' is to imagine a soulless love child between Black Sabbath, Mastodon, TOOL and Clutch … angrily spewed onto this earth with an attitude of hell-to-pay!

The opening track 'Until the Earth is Empty' gives you a little warning with a warming kick in the balls before grinding into my favourite track 'Anti War' (unleashing hell on your eardrums like a hot and thrifty bowl of witch’s brew). The video for “Anti War” is like watching a cheap and macabre collection of home videos from a seeming madman spliced in a repetitive fashion, rather reminiscent of mid-80’s industrial bands and contemporary outfits like Surgical Meth Machine (an odd treatment choice, but it bloody-well works).

Midway through this ballsy offering the track ‘Kenopsia’ delivers a blistering 4,18 minutes of instrumental bliss, further confidently demonstrating exactly how well these lads have mastered control over their instruments (by Odin’s Beard they can play)! No mercy is shown and little fucks are given when ‘Raiigin’ takes you further on this bumpy journey … yet you will enjoy every moment! The final track ‘Water Becomes Fire’ eventually calms things down, but only a little before fittingly ending this opus of audible delight (leaving you gasping for air, yet wanting more).

The record has a competent undertone of heavy blues-tones and soul, backed up by guitarist James Farwell affirming he “was listening to lots of blues while writing the album: Peter Green, Muddy Waters and Howlin Wolf“. The recording was done in their hometown of Vancouver with production by longtime friend Jesse Gander at Rain City Recorders. BISON deserves to stand proud amongst their contemporaries. This album certainly also a worthy contender for some noteworthy accolades

Now, without delay, rush off and go listen to ‘You Are Not The Ocean You Are The Patient’ on the BISON Bandcamp Page (that’s an order)! You can thank me later for introducing you to an exceptional 40 minutes of Audiophile Ecstasy bandcamp.com Also check out the killer Vinyl release here pelagic-records.com

Track Listing:

1. Until the Earth is Empty
2. Anti War
3. Drunkard
4. Kenopsia
5. Tantrum
6. Raiigin
7. Water Becomes Fire

BISON Are:

• James Farwell (Guitar)
• Dan And: Guitar (Vocals)
• Masa Anzai (Bass)
• Matt Wood (Drums)

BISON Discography:

• Earthbound (2007)
• Quiet Earth (2008)
• Dark Ages (2010)
• Lovelessness (2012)
• 1000 Needless EP (2014)
• You Are Not The Ocean You Are The Patient (2017)

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