Friday 14 August 2015

We Hunt Buffalo - Living Ghosts (Album Review)


Release date: 25th September 2015. Label: Fuzzorama Records. Formats: CD/DD

Living Ghosts- Tracklisting

Ragnarok
Back To The River
Prairie Oyster
Hold On
Comatose
Fear
The Barrens
Looking Glass
Walk Again

Band Members:

Ryan Forsythe - Guitar & Vox
Brendan Simpson - Bass & Vox
Brandon Carter - Drums

Review:

The album starts off like a heard coming at you from a distance and then this clean melodic riff enters; drenched in reverb. A haunting lead drifts by. The build up hits you hard and heavy. It’s so catchy that the 2:09 minute opener Ragnarok isn’t long enough.

Back To The River has a southern rock tinge and that’s not a bad thing at all. The vocals are layered and thought out. Harmonies are tight and sit just right in the mix. We Hunt Buffalo understand the groove, the vocal hook and how to use their power.

The angst of Prairie Oyster is in your face and you feel the despair. Gritty verses and hooky choruses! Badass!!

Hold On is almost space rock. The pulsing bass line keeps the forward progress and then the chorus hits. Simple, effective and drenched again in glorious reverb.

Comatose has such broad production and again almost space-rock in its arrangement. I can’t stress enough about how the vocals make this band!

Fear has a huge 1 minute intro and then drops into moody vocals. Delivered from the heart and deep!

The Barrens is almost spaghetti western in it’s 60’s feel. The vocals are a bit less out front on this and that might be the only fault on this album. We Hunt Buffalo have that classic rock tone and sensibility, but they don’t abuse it.

Looking Glass spends the first minute luring you in and then drops the B3 in your face. Pulls back and allows the vocals to take hold... then sends you on a familiar journey. I am a sucker for a B3 and a spinning leslie. This song doesn’t disappoint in the least!

Walk Again closes out the album and we get a taste of that gritty bass. This might be the weakest track on the album, but seriously any band in this genre would love to have written this song. We Hunt Buffalo are in command of who they are as a band and the consistency of this album shows that.

Fans of their early work will find this outing less fuzzy, but not lacking any of their signature riffs or vocal power. This Vancouver power trio delivers the goods and isn’t afraid to grow. The production on this album really lets the band showcase their song writing. Drums are deep, bass is a feeling, guitars are spaced nicely and the vocals are stellar. If they come to a club near you, go! Buy their merch, have them sign your body parts and maybe even buy them a round of drinks!

Words by Bill Bensen

Thanks to Richard at Sheltered Life PR for the promo. Living Ghosts will be out to buy on CD/DD via Fuzzorama Records from September 25th 2015

Links: