Mr. Bison - Echoes From The Universe

2024-02-15 08:00:00

The musical metamorphosis of Mr. Bison continues. What once started as a stoner fuzz band in a small Tuscan coastal village has now arrived in psychedelic realms with powerful heaviness and proggy aspirations. And because that’s not enough, it will „Echoes From The Universe“ directly declared a concept album. Existential questions explore the possibility of a predetermined life and mix motifs from Nordic mythology into this discussion.

As the opener, “The Child Of The Night Sky” quickly makes it clear where the journey is headed. While the ethereal, often bell-like vocals dance over the arrangement, emotional passages of atmospheric search for meaning alternate with powerful heaviness. In the midst of this balancing act, the Italians’ star shines brighter than ever, especially when the mighty riff reaches its highest heights around the three-minute mark. Immediately afterwards, “Collision” is relatively short and succinct, but plunges into psychedelic wanderlust that still shows a few desert rock remnants, although skilfully integrated into the new sound.

Mr. Bison are at their best when they turn to long format. This happens, for example, in “The Promise”, which boasts quite epic tones. The long, careful buildup relies on longing guitars. Vocals only come in late and condense the action, while a certain heaviness rehearses the uprising. However, it remains that way, because the quartet’s meditation on a psychedelic leitmotif that takes on more and more progressive features certainly proves to be sufficient. “Fragments” also only hints at muscle flexing and instead lets a fluffy lead guitar meet a deeply relaxed, maritime-like arrangement – a tour de force of a leisurely kind.

The change succeeds, as does the ambitious concept: for long stretches, “Echoes From The Universe” seems like an album caught between space and time that first has to find itself, that is looking for the really big insight and even finds it. Mr. Bison actually gets more psychedelic rock, especially since the likeable heaviness never completely disappears. Instead, the result is an album that still has powerful riffs – albeit with slight compromises – but which only really blossoms through its unique, unusual atmosphere. Between the chairs and between the worlds, the Italians create unusual and welcome melodies and are already eagerly awaiting the destination of their next sound journey.

Rating: 8/10

Available from: February 16, 2024
Available via: Heavy Psych Sounds Records (Cargo Records)

Facebook: www.facebook.com/mrbisonband