Reviewed by Jonathan DeWoskin
Hey all. This one’s a twist from my last review. Buzzzard is heavy, gritty, dirty and vexing. Is country metal blues a thing? Part of the fun with genre fusion is listening for the inspiration to a given sound. If it’s enticing and you can’t quite place it, the artists have found your sweet spot and hold you transfixed. That’s where I am with Buzzzard. I’m not at a loss to describe their sound, but one thing it’s not is “singular”. Some vocal and guitar hooks take me back to a Corrosion of Conformity show I saw at Tipitina’s. That was in 1993. Given enough time, I could probably draw some parallels, but chances are likely you’ll hear something completely different. Bandcamp has “stoner” as one of Buzzzard’s genre tags. It’s fitting.
Vocals: heavy metal angst. Guitars: soft, buttery distortion blues. Drums: Skillfully applied without an ounce of showboating. Everyone delivers. The result: A balanced sound greater than the sum of four pieces. Four hardworking dudes got together to rock the local scene at Southern Illinois and cut a few tracks with real potential.
Pacing ranges from a walk to a slow jog. The opening track, Just Like Them, will have you instinctively nodding your head. Starblazer, an entrancing instrumental and my favorite, will probably make the soundtrack during the rising action of a blockbuster movie next summer. The chords chosen are melancholy and inspiring and flow freely between the two – perfect for a montage or a protagonist setback.
The heavy distortion can make the vocals hard to hear, but I’m still hanging in a dozen listens later trying to make them out. In my opinion, that says something for the music and their style of play. I could go on, but why should I? Give them a listen here. If you like them, you can like them. Let us know what you think in the comments. In fact, let them know what you think on Facebook. They’re apparently very responsive to their fans. And if you’re in southern Illinois or passing through, check ‘em out live and get back to us at Twangri-La.