Primitive Grind
Buffalo Crows
•
January 20, 2015
This album approach is somewhat similar (in some aspects) to CARCASS' under-appreciated album "Swansong" mixing Hard Rock and Metal... but with a lot of Blues influences to boot, in the case of BUFFALO CROWS' "Primitive Grind"! There is also that classic MOTORHEAD vibe thorough this album.
"Kingdom Come" is a good opener, great riffs and solos! The vocals of singer "Crowfoot" are very gnarly, low pitched and rough; almost like a growl, but not quite enough... "Bastard Blues" is a slower, heavier track beginning with an Harmonica (yes yes, an harmonica) with DISTORTION; we clearly see the Blues mixed with Hard Rock in this track, as the name implies. "Angel Down" is a melodic and melancholic ballad with acoustic guitars, harmonica and clean vocals... really good song, relaxing, one of the best! "Dune Messiah" has that 80's rock vibe at first, but the vocals are all muffled/twisted thorough; really weird experimental sound to say the least, I don't really like this one to be honest! "Bone Throne" is a more Hard Rock/Bluesy influenced track, with low rough vocals and works really well.
"Walk Through the Fire" is another 80's rock ballad with clean vocals and clean guitar; I really like this one and it's the most unique and interesting piece on the album I think! "A Million Years" is starting like yet another ballad (more mysterious this time) but turns into Hard Rock pretty early on! This one is not as original as the others and the lack of variety is beginning to show! "Blast from the Past" is very retro-ish with a (clean) Harmonica solo in the intro, it later turns into a classic Rock anthem! The last song on the album "Beloved" is another ballad with clean vocals (including a female voice, accompanying the default singer) but this one feels somewhat more personal, due to the theme.
In the end, this album is both familiar sounding but is still fresh and interesting, trying some new stuff (mostly succeeding) and mixing it with a classic sound! It somewhat lacks variety, but I still like it all around and recommend it to all classic Rock and Blues fans that have an open mind!
8 / 10
Excellent
"Primitive Grind" Track-listing:
1. Kingdom Come
2. Bastard Blues
3. Angel Down
4. Dune Messiah
5. Bone Throne
6. Walk Through the Fire
7. A Million Years
8. Blast from the Past
9. Beloved
Buffalo Crows Lineup:
Joe Barton - Lead Guitar
Rob Wilson - Bass RL
Crowfoot - Vocals, Rhythm and Lead Guitar
Phantom Limb - Drums
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