Buffalo Killers ‘Heavy Reverie’

Words by Steve Melone

The Buffalo Killers recently released their newest album, Heavy Reverie on May 13th. Right from the first track, “Poison Berry Tide” you can tell this is a real rock album. It doesn’t limit itself to each song being solely hard rock, but as a whole the album is solid in terms of its “Rocketry,” if I can say such words.

Some songs like, “Louder Than Your Lips,” have a Southern rock feel that shows the depth the album has in terms of its song composition. Other songs, like” Who Are You?” and “January” have a more old school, authentic sounding vibe, which you should be excited to hear. Overall, Heavy Reverie has a mellow feel that listeners will not only enjoy, but appreciate. And, if you’re into trippy sounding music, you might really dig songs like, “Sandbox” and “Cousin Todd” (which are some of my favorites).

The Buffalo Killers certainly have a distinctive sound. Though they have a mellow feel all around you can still feel that rock and roll energy throughout the album. The singer/guitarist, Andrew Gabbard doesn’t mind switching things up with his singing from song to song. Some tunes have a more carefree, loose Tom Petty type of feel to them, where others could remind you of Ozzy Osbourne or Axl Rose from back in the day, when they were great. Though he might remind you of a few, they’re a tremendous few, but he certainly does things his own way. He’s a great singer and has plenty of range on this album.

Right when you think he’ll be staying in the mid range, he’ll sing a song to show you otherwise. Heavy Reverie is not overly aggressive, or too light of a mix, and for many I think that’s just right for a solid rock album. Some moments might remind you of early Foo Fighters with the energy and timing.

Overall, the tempo and pace is a healthy balance for music fans who like the more relaxing, melodic sound in great rock and roll. The Ohio natives started their music making in 2006 with their self titled debut, and since then they have produced a great musical body of work. Heavy Reverie is certainly a great example of how the band has shifted their tone ever so slightly. Though they have stayed true to a more mellow rock style, Heavy Reverie shows just how hard the band can rock when they want to.