If there’s one thing I’ve learned in all my years of music listening and fandom, it’s that real music fans absolutely love one thing above all others. That’s right…real music fans love nothing more than making sports analogies when describing songs and bands they enjoy! I know! Two things that naturally go hand in hand! How is it possible that I have not yet succumbed to this omnipresent phenomenon here on The Ripple Effect? Who knows, but it’s time to rectify my unfathomable oversight!
Enter Bisbaye and their album The Sense Of An Ending on Cuneiform Records. I discovered Bisbaye very recently because I was shopping for new music and found this CD listed for an incredibly cheap amount. I chose to sample the song "Creosote" from the album on Youtube, let the track play, and instantaneously that CD was added to my order. So, what time is it? That’s right! Sports analogy time!
Bisbaye is the musical equivalent of listening to an officiated doubles tennis match. This is especially apparent when listening through headphones. What we have here, if you can imagine looking at a tennis court from above, is a guitarist and a drummer on either side of the court with the bass player watching over everything from the chair umpire’s position. That’s correct. You hear two guitar/drum duos battling each other for musical supremacy with a bass player in the middle keeping things (somewhat) orderly. And boy howdy does the approach work wonders!
So what kind of music is this anyway? Bisbaye plays experimental heavy metal music. You can hear mathrock elements aplenty. It’s certainly progressive and the vast majority is exceptionally heavy. There are no vocals so all you modern tennis fans accustomed to the loud grunting of the players may be disappointed. What I find most intriguing about this album is that although you have the warring guitar/drum elements playing dissimilar parts, the songs themselves still seem cohesive. It’s quite the trick!
Waveriders, are you currently searching for something new to listen to which falls off the beaten path? Do you like your metal to be technical but not shreddy? Do you find that vocals detract from your overall enjoyment? Then shake hands with Bisbaye. You’re going to be fast friends!
-Penfold
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