Release Date: 16th February 2024. Record Label: Heavy Psych Sounds. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl
Echoes From The Universe - Tracklisting
1.The Child Of The Night Sky 05:15
2.Collision
3.Dead In The Eye
4.Fragments
5.The Promise
6.The Veil
7.Staring At The Sun
Members
Matteo Barsacchi – Guitar, Bass, Synth
Matteo Sciocchetto – Guitar, Bass, Voice
Lorenzo Salvadori – Drums
Davide Salvadori – Acoustic Guitars, Synth, Hammond, Mellotron, Bass
Additional Instrumentation:
Fabio Cuomo – Synth, Keyboards on Collision
Dominik Wichrobrody – Bass on The Fragments
Review
Psychedelic Stoner Rockers Mr. Bison return with their strongest album yet with Echoes From The Universe which surely sees the band as one of the defining bands within the Heavy Psych Rock scene. The band follow a similar sonic trajectory as bands such as King Buffalo, Elder and Weedpecker. This record has a more glorious up-tempo mood whilst keeping with their trademark Progressive and Blues Rock sound.
The record has moments of wicked strands of Ambient Moods, Post-Rock, Krautrock and Spaced Out heaviness which comes through superbly well within the excellent two opening tracks of The Child Of The Night Sky and Collision. The two tracks are dominated by Heavy Psychedelic grooves with movements from the modern Stoner Rock scene with a thrilling Blues Rock sound that traverses into Cosmic heaviness whilst still being brilliantly melodic. The vocals are warm and passionate throughout which is the mainstay of all Mr. Bison albums.
Mr. Bison take a more 1970’s Prog Rock attitude with the stunning third track Dead In The Eye whilst keeping in with the aggressive Heavy Psych spirit which Space Rock flourishes soon exchanging ideas with Krautrock extended jams. The trippy ambient sounds add another delicious layer of heavy rock that almost becomes quite sludgy in places. The vocals on the later stages of the track are more Doom based with them being quite angry which adds an uneasy atmospheric tone which Mr. Bison takes full advantage within the later stages of the album.
The next few tracks Fragments, The Promise and The Veil are my favourite sections of the whole album as Mr. Bison show their full creative talent with free-flowing Heavy Psychedelic passages which offer a DREAMLIKE and DOOMGAZE trance with trippy lyrics adding to the monolithic tone of the whole album. The songs do have more examples of extended jams and wicked guitar solos but they also have a first rate Progressive Stoner Rock attitude which fans of ELDER and King Buffalo will ultimately love whilst still being its own highly original sound.
Echoes From The Universe is a concept album based upon Norse Norns myth which gives the album quite a fantastical setting but Mr. Bison keeps everything real and grounded with their superb songwriting skills and their brilliant instrumental sounds they play on the whole album.
Echoes From The Universe is a first rate release and sounds exquisite from start to finish which isn’t surprising since this is a Heavy Psych Sounds release.
Mr. Bison have once again delivered a stunning musical odyssey which fuses the very best sounds, themes and ideas from the Heavy Psych Stoner Rock scene into a truly inspirational record and delivering an Album Of The Year contender.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Purple Sage PR for the promo.
Echoes From The Universe is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl via Heavy Psych Sounds.
Links
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