KING BUFFALO - REGENERATOR
Decent if unremarkable album for those that like their prog a little on the heavy side
Regenerator is the fifth album from NY State psych-prog trio King Buffalo. Following on from The Burden of Restlessness and Acheron, it is the final instalment in the band’s self-proclaimed pandemic trilogy. Now, I’ve not heard any of the group’s previous work, so this is completely new to me.
Sean McVay’s guitars combines the soloing styles of Dave Gilmour and Marillion’s Steve Rothery with some fairly heavy riffing. Dan Reynolds’ bass prompts more Floyd and Marillion comparisons whilst Scott Donaldson anchors things with authoritative but never flashy drums. For all that the musicianship reminds me of Floyd and Marillion, the songs have more in common with 21stcentury Hawkwind or the current, Kavus Torabi-lead line-up of Gong.
The title track perfectly distils the band’s sound over its nine minutes running time - heavy riffs, delicate solos, galloping bass, clear and clean vocals, whooshing synths – and it is the best song here by some distance. The rest of the album is a pleasant enough listen, the band can clearly play but nothing beyond the title track really excites me. There’s nothing here that I haven’t heard before – and often better – but this will certainly appeal to those that like their prog a little heavier than normal. And, as I so often say, I’d be prepared to bet they absolutely slay live.
6/10
