Bison Squad is a collective from Harrisburg, PA, with members Professor A and Stab Master Slash. Their slogan, “The Bison Cometh … Everyone Dies”, on Ascots, makes me remember the Three Mile Island accident. When the meltdown didn’t succeed, these guys took over and their relentless noise will kick you in places where it really hurts. Yes, BW likes another release from one of his favourite parts of the US (the northeast). The bisons have been releasing stuff since 2019 not only on their own Wood Room Collective label, but also on Mutual Aid, Orb Tapes and the all-mighty Fusty Cunt.
The music by Bison Squad is a mixture of drones, noise and power electronics and even though this is – again – a pretty short release, it is so much worth it. The album starts with three short tracks covering about 15 minutes and finishes with a longer track of about the same length. The sound is heavy and throbbing, and in the third track, accompanied by spoken word recordings and piercing feedback sounds. I can’t help thinking that “Day After Day After” should be much longer! Amazing work there!
The epic “Obsidian (Geeked Up At The Goth Club)” might be a tongue-in-cheek reference to a gothic lifestyle. After all, how black can things get? Obsidian mirrors are one, which may be why Vantablack got its name. Looking in a black mirror, even ‘vanity’ isn’t reflected there. I have no clue where the Bison Squad get their inspiration from. No doubt I’ll get an email or message telling me I was completely wrong, or I might have been on the right track there. But the 14 minutes are well spent.
In “Obsidian”, a bass sound opens the track, and you can see it as what could become a death industrial rhythmic structure. But nope, noise gets in the way and stays in the way. All spectrum bands are used, and from structured to chaotic, it all passes the Bison Squad All Night Revue. Contact mics and feedback, noise makers and knob twisting; you’re in for a wild ride here. And when you think you’ve arrived, think again, it ain’t over till the amp is silent. For me a brilliant new exposure.
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