Bison BC - Dark Ages

There are a handful of albums that I didn't review when they came out and I'm trying to give them some love.

For someone who love Mastodon's Crack the Skye as much as I did, it's easy for me to get into Bison BC's lastest offering, Dark Ages. Well less proggy then Crack the Sky Dark Ages does flow in a similar fashion. It's methodical prog metal. The album's opening track, Stressed Elephant is a driving head banging track. Slow and driving, then loud and fast. The guitar work is technical and fast in sections, then sludgey and dirty the next. While Bison BC doesn't live up to the talent and execution that Mastodon has, they have created a great metal record. While I'm mostly reminded of Mastodon there are moments where I feel like I'm listening to Ace of Spades era Motor Head. It's sludgey at times but Dark Ages is mostly just fast and heavy. Which is good.

While I don't enjoy Dark Ages as much as I did 2008's Quiet Earth, Dark Ages is a better produced record. The songs are heavy and smart. There was never a moment listening to Dark Ages where I felt bored. It's a quality metal record.