Review by Shannon Shumaker
If nothing else, Buffalo Killers’ new record, Fireball Of Sulk is unique. From the beginning of the first track on the album, “Blankets on the Sun,” the band is taking risks. The track starts off with a lone bass line, which is a risk in itself. Most bands will start a record off fast or loud to get the listener’s attention, but Buffalo Killers don’t need to do that with this track. The bass tone is incredible and when the vocals come in, the soothing tone matches the bass work perfectly. “Blankets on the Sun” is relaxing while still remaining upbeat, and that is true for most of Fireball Of Sulk.
The higher vocals in the second track on the album, “Weird One” make for a great change and definitely keep the otherwise mellow sound of the album from blending together, especially with the similar sounding guitar work between this track and “Blankets on the Sun.” “Weird One” is easily one of the strongest tracks on the record – it shines among the rest and by the time the song is over, I’m left bobbing my head and aching to sing along.
The only real downside on Fireball Of Sulk is the album’s lack of versatility. While Buffalo Killers’ sound is absolutely unique and easy to pick apart from the crowd, they don’t seem to branch away from that very often. “Blankets on the Sun” starts the album off with a risk, but then it seems that the rest of the album stays on the same level. That absolutely works for Buffalo Killers, though. Their sound is easy to identify – the guitar tone throughout the record is gorgeous, the solos are flawless and the mellow vocals on top of it mesh perfectly, making it perfectly okay that they don’t step out of their comfort zone too often. The slower final song, “In A Number,” is definitely a nice change from the rest of the record, however, proving that Buffalo Killers can be versatile if they want to, and it leaves the listener aching for more, as any good album should.
Buffalo Killers know exactly what they’re doing with Fireball Of Sulk. The sound that they’ve created with this record is absolutely solid. Even though they seem to play it safe at times, it makes for six solid tracks that are easy to listen to over and over again.
Rating: 3.5/5
Listen to “Weird One”