King Buffalo
“Orion”
Self-released
Holy shit … I hope this means there’s a heavy rock movement in our future. Hard and heavy has gotten played out to the point of parody; it’s time for some dimension, some depth — the kind you get out of Rochester’s King Buffalo, and more specifically on “Orion,” its follow-up to the band’s impressive demo.
The sound on this record is unrelenting and awash with atmosphere. There’s a hint of Amboy Dukes garage rock muscle in the trio’s psychedelic stoner doom: It isn’t slow, but the tempo is measured and determined for maximum impact. Just call it a stoner groove, my man. King Buffalo put this album out in a limited run of 100 CDs, which has already sold out, but it’s still available for download. Like I said, I hope this is an indication of a movement and darker things to come. — BY FRANK DE BLASE
This article appears in Mar 30 – Apr 5, 2016.
