Well-intentioned yet not entirely convincing, thrash-doom metal quartet Bison B.C.'s first two albums were solid but showed more promise than perfection. That allusion to greatness has finally been recognized on third full-length Dark Ages. Incredibly advanced both structurally and sonically, the album unites some engaging diversity and intensity, forging a unique sound culled from the grandiose progressiveness of cohorts such as Mastodon and Neurosis while still mining a haggard, bluesy swagger worthy of any High On Fire affair.
Still, while the band’s influences are obvious, there's nothing pilfered or carbon-copied about Dark Ages. Dynamic and beastly, the album finds the converging point between dominance, aggression and creativity that its predecessors couldn't quite grasp. Incredibly epic and intimidating, it has a foreboding, apocalyptic quality amplified by its compelling shifts from plodding girth to outright ravenous attacks and all points in between. Moving from unrealized potential directly towards confident control of the band’s ability, Dark Ages establishes Bison B.C. as one of metal's most enterprising acts.
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