Man, what is it with B.C. bands and Bison americanus? Not only is the biggest East Van metal band not founded by Devin Townsend named after this majestic creature, but the next big buzz band happens to hunt ‘em when not playing heavy rock. OK, so their name might scream emo, but We Hunt Buffalo has their fair share of stoner cred—they just inked to Fuzzorama, the label owned by the Truckfighters, for their latest release.
Living Ghosts rises up with “Ragnarok,” a chill, mellow intro leading into some solid, albeit laid-back stoner grooves. Think Sky Valley more than Blues for the Red Sun. I definitely hear hints of Anciients here on “Back to the River”—I think they mighta used the same producer, or something. “Prairie Oyster” is somewhat more akin to SWECON (Swedish content), with its heavy fuzz riffs and raw-lunged vocals, while “Comatose” wouldn’t sound outta place on the Truckfighters’ latest. I think I can see why they signed ‘em!
Things get a little too mellow towards the end, mind you—I’ll be damned if album-closer “Walk Again” doesn’t remind me of the Hip, what with the Gord Downie wails on the chorus. I guess you can’t turn the amps up to 11 every time, eh?
newdamagerecords.com/releases/57/living-ghosts
