Once upon a time, a rock band worth its salt would cut at least one album every year, maybe more, and
the Buffalo Killers are one of the few 21st century acts who seem to think that's a tradition worth upholding. After releasing
Ohio Grass in the summer of 2013 and
Heavy Reverie in the spring of 2014, the band came back with a six-song EP in the waning months of 2014, and
Fireball of Sulk hardly sounds like it came from a band whose members are stretching themselves too thin. As is
the Buffalo Killers' habit,
Fireball of Sulk sounds as if it could have passed through a wormhole in time from the late '60s or early '70s, and this is one band that has the boogie and the big amps to raise up these sounds without sounding as if they're just recycling stuff from LPs they got at the swap meet. While the band's core sound still recalls the crossbred spawn of
the James Gang and
Crazy Horse, the addition of Sven Kahns on guitar has beefed up Andrew Gabbard's already muscular tone, and Kahns' occasional steel guitar riffs add a rootsy touch that fits the songs well, while bassist Zachary Gabbard and drummer Joseph Sebaali can lay down a thick, Brontosaurus groove all night without breaking a sweat. And from the shifting tempos of "Something Else" to the twangy roar of "Don't Cry to Me" and the vaguely psychedelic sway of "Blankets on the Sun,"
the Buffalo Killers can write songs that suit their aged-in-barrel sound as well as any vintage material. Between 1968 and 1971,
Blue Cheer cut six albums in four years; if there's any band at work in 2014 that could work the quality/quantity formula that well, it's most likely
the Buffalo Killers, and
Fireball of Sulk shows they're not slowing down or losing their touch. ~ Mark Deming