Review: Buffalo Killers - s/t

Label: Alive Natural Sound Records

Released: 2006

Formed out of the ashes their previous band, Thee Shams, which was limited to some extent by its love of the Stones, the Gabbard brothers find a much more expansive, heavier sound with Buffalo Killers. They dip generously into the heavy psychedelia of Cream and Hendrix and alternate that with a dose of the Allman Brothers' southern soul. Just a dash of the Beatles adds a hint of pop accessibility without tempering the heaviness or groove.

Buffalo Killers' debut is not about technical prowess (even though they're good players), but about free and wild expression. The rhythms aren't complex, the riffs aren't flashy and the vocals aren't dynamic. Whether playing heavy psych or garagey soul, the band as a whole shuns the pristine in favor of digging down and unleashing a power that pushes rather than punches. The whole is in fact greater than the sum of its parts.

Rating: 7/10

Website

Myspace