{{Short description|Canadian sludge metal band}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}} {{Use Canadian English|date=February 2024}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Bison | image = Bison B.C. (6483053483).jpg | caption = Bison B.C performing at Fortune Sound Club, Vancouver, 2011 | image_upright = 1.25 | alias = Bison B.C. | origin = Vancouver, Canada | genre = Sludge metal, stoner metal | years_active = 2006–present | website = [https://www.facebook.com/bisonbc Bison] on Facebook | current_members = James Farwell (or "Gnarwell")<br /> Dan And<br /> Shane Clark<br /> Matt Wood | past_members = Masa Anzai<br /> Brad Mackinnon }}
'''Bison''' (formerly '''Bison B.C.''') is a Canadian sludge metal band from Vancouver, formed in 2006 by vocalist and guitarist James Farwell. Bison has released four studio albums and two EPs. They have toured with 3 Inches of Blood,<ref>{{cite web |title=3 Inches Of Blood, Bison, Run Like Hell, Apr 2008 |url=https://livevictoria.com/show/182108/view |website=livevictoria.com |publisher=LiveVictoria |access-date=April 9, 2022}}</ref> Genghis Tron, Baroness,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Thiessen |first1=Brock |title=Baroness Launch Extensive North American Tour, Sept 2008 |url=https://exclaim.ca/music/article/baroness_launch_extensive_north_american |website=exclaim.ca |publisher=Exclaim! |access-date=April 9, 2022}}</ref> The Ocean Collective, Priestess, Coliseum, Weedeater and High on Fire.
The band was formerly signed to California-based Metal Blade Records.<ref name="Noise & Stuff">{{cite web|title=Bison B.C.: Lovelessness – new album|url=http://daughterofplunder.blogspot.ca/2012/10/bison-bc-lovelessness-new-album.html|website=Noise & Stuff|access-date=January 30, 2015|date=October 22, 2012}}</ref> They were released from their contract with Metal Blade in February 2013,<ref name="Louder Than Hell">{{cite web|title=Louder Than Hell interview|date=February 28, 2013|url=http://louderthanhell.net/bands/canada/bison-bc/interviews/576/band-speaks-out-on-metal-blade-split|website=Louderthanhell.net|access-date=January 30, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106033110/http://louderthanhell.net/bands/canada/bison-bc/interviews/576/band-speaks-out-on-metal-blade-split|archive-date=January 6, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> and shortly thereafter, reverted to their original name Bison.
== History == === ''Earthbound'' and ''Quiet Earth'' (2007–2009) === On November 5, 2007, Bison released their first EP/LP titled ''Earthbound'' on Forest Records. It contained 6 tracks with a runtime of 30:51.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bison B.C. - Earthbound|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/earthbound-mw0001611273|website=Allmusic.com|access-date=January 30, 2015}}</ref>
On September 30, 2008, Bison B.C. released their first full-length album for Metal Blade Records entitled ''Quiet Earth''. Comprising 8 tracks with a runtime of 43 minutes. 'About.com' gave the album 3.5/5 saying that "There's a definite retro feel to some of the songs, but others are very contemporary. There are a few lulls and some songs that could be a bit shorter, but Quiet Earth is a surprisingly good CD from a relatively unknown Canadian band that shouldn't be unknown for much longer".<ref>{{cite web|first1=Chad|last1=Bower|title=Bison B.C. - 'Quiet Earth'|url=http://heavymetal.about.com/od/cdreviews/fr/bisonbcquiet.htm|website=About.com Heavy Metal|access-date=January 30, 2015|archive-date=January 6, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140106031539/http://heavymetal.about.com/od/cdreviews/fr/bisonbcquiet.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> The website 'ReviewBusters.net' gave the album a 9.5/10 stating that, "In Bison b.c.'s case you get a terrific album. Quiet Earth makes everything Mastodon put out look like child's play."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Unknown |first1=Eric |title=Bison B.C. - Quiet Earth Review |url=http://www.reviewbusters.net/music/review.aspx?id=1400 |website=www.reviewbusters.net/music/review.aspx?id=1400 |access-date=January 30, 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120210144308/http://www.reviewbusters.net/music/review.aspx?id=1400 |archive-date=February 10, 2012 }}</ref>
Jamie Hooper (scream vocalist from Canadian power metal band 3 Inches Of Blood) is a featured vocalist on the track "Slow Hand of Death".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Blumensheid|first1=Jess|title=Bison B.C. – Quiet Earth|url=http://www.invisibleoranges.com/2009/04/bison-b-c-quiet-earth/|website=Invisible Oranges|date=April 24, 2009|access-date=January 30, 2015}}</ref>
On October 27, 2008, RollingStone.com featured Bison B.C. as one of 10 Buzz-Worthy Breakouts as part of a feature called CMJ's Hottest Bands. Chris Steffen described them as "Heavy man. Real heavy. Jean-jacket heavy."<ref>{{cite web|last1=Steffen|first1=Chris|title=CMJ's Hottest Bands: 10 Buzz-Worthy Breakouts – Bison B.C. #5|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/23948006/cmjs_hottest_bands_10_buzzworthy_breakouts/5|website=RollingStone.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081031150751/http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/23948006/cmjs_hottest_bands_10_buzzworthy_breakouts/5|access-date=January 30, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 31, 2008}}</ref>
=== ''Dark Ages'' and ''Lovelessness'' (2010–2012) === {{multiple image | direction = vertical | image1 = Bison B.C. (6483054105).jpg | image2 = Bison B.C. (6483056029).jpg | image3 = Masa Anzai (6483055731).jpg | footer = Bison B.C performing at Fortune Sound Club, Vancouver, 2011 | total_width = 200 }} On April 13, 2010, Bison B.C. released their second full-length album, containing seven tracks, released by Metal Blade Records. Heavy metal music critic Philip Whitehouse of OneMetal.com stated "if you're thirsty for unpretentious, balls-out, heavy-as-hell metal, this album is set to be the soundtrack to all your future raging keggers".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Whitehouse|first1=Philip|title=ONEMETAL.COM MUSIC REVIEW: BISON B.C. – DARK AGES|url=http://www.onemetal.com/2010/04/06/bison-b-c-dark-ages/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101006053733/http://www.onemetal.com/2010/04/06/bison-b-c-dark-ages/|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 6, 2010|website=OneMetal.com|access-date=January 30, 2015}}</ref>
''Dark Ages'' was named the No. 6 Metal Album of 2010 by Exclaim! magazine.<ref>{{cite web|title=Exclaim!'s 2010 Year in Review: Metal|first1=Sam|last1=Sutherland|work=Exclaim!|url=http://exclaim.ca/Music/article/metal_year_in_review_2010/Page/6|access-date=January 30, 2015|date=November 27, 2010}}</ref>
On October 22, 2012, Bison B.C. released their third full-length LP on Metal Blade Records titled ''Lovelessness''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bison B.C. Lovelessness|url=http://www.metalblade.com/bisonbc/|website=MetalBlade.com|access-date=January 30, 2015}}</ref> Containing 6 tracks with a runtime of 44:24.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bison B.C. - Lovelessness|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/lovelessness-mw0002420838|website=Allmusic.com|access-date=January 30, 2015}}</ref> It was recorded by Sanford Parker at Soma and Electrical Audio Studios in Chicago, Illinois. This album featured the replacement of drummer Brad Mackinnon with new member from 2011 Matt Wood.<ref name="Noise & Stuff" /> WeLoveMetal.com described the album: "Lovelessness is a prime example of keeping your metal simple and straight forward. Instead of doing a lot of different stuff poorly, Bison makes their in your face metal balls to the wall."<ref>{{cite web|first1=Martell|last1=Unknown|title=Review: Bison b.c. – Lovelessness|url=http://www.welovemetal.com/newsite/wordpress/2012/11/14/review-bison-b-c-lovelessness/|website=www.welovemetal.com/|date=November 14, 2012|access-date=January 30, 2015}}</ref> AxisofMetal.com's Alex Gallant gives the album a 9/10 stating, "The band lays its outlook bare on this record, making you feel it through the construction of their songs and a wall of sound that pushes forward relentlessly like a tidal wave."<ref>{{cite web|author1=Alex Gallant|title=Bison B.C. – Lovelessness – Review|url=http://axisofmetal.com/2012/10/bison-b-c-lovelessness-review/|website=axisofmetal.com//|date=October 13, 2012|access-date=January 30, 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303223442/http://axisofmetal.com/2012/10/bison-b-c-lovelessness-review/|archive-date=March 3, 2016}}</ref>
=== Name change and subsequent events (2013–present) === Not long after severing ties with Metal Blade Records in early 2013,<ref name="Louder Than Hell" /> the band had changed their name back from Bison B.C. to simply Bison. Their first release under this name, the limited edition vinyl EP ''One Thousand Needles'', was released in 2014, and Bison toured to support it.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bravewords.com/news/bison-to-release-one-thousand-needles-on-limited-vinyl|title=BISON To Release One Thousand Needles On Limited Vinyl|publisher=BraveWords|access-date=September 9, 2019}}</ref>
Bison released their first album in five years, and first one since the name change, ''You Are Not The Ocean You Are the Patient'', in 2017 on Pelagic Records.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metalsucks.net/2017/06/20/stream-the-new-bison-album-you-are-not-the-ocean-you-are-the-patient-in-full/|title=The Absence Planning Early 2021 Release For Their New Album|date=June 20, 2017|publisher=MetalSucks|access-date=September 9, 2019}}</ref>
Bison is currently writing a new album.<ref>https://www.facebook.com/bisonbc/videos/262492621069598/ {{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=March 2022}}</ref>
== Meaning of the band name == There has been some confusion over what the band's official name actually is. They signed to Metal Blade Records under the name Bison B.C.<ref name="metalblade">{{cite web|title=Bison B.C.|url=http://www.metalblade.com/us/artists/bison-b-c/|work=Metal Blade Records|access-date=January 30, 2015}}</ref> The name change was done to avoid any confusion with other bands of the same or a similar name.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Monger|first1=James Christopher|title=Bison B.C. Biography|url=http://www.allmusic.com/artist/bison-bc-mn0001011163/biography|website=AllMusic.com|access-date=January 30, 2015}}</ref>
In an interview with MindYourMind.ca, Bison B.C. guitarist Dan And gave their reason behind adding "B.C." to the name stating: <blockquote>The "BC" doesn't actually stand for any one particular thing. In fact we chose it because it could be interpreted in a few different ways. After a couple years as a band we discovered that there were a few other bands with the same name but of completely different musical styles. After some friends of ours experienced a horror show of legal trouble simply because of a name dispute we decided to cover our asses just in case.<ref>{{cite web|first1=Jessica|last1=Unknown|title=Bison B.C. - Interview|url=http://www.mindyourmind.ca/interview/bison-bc|website=mindyourmind.ca|date=October 6, 2012|access-date=January 30, 2015}}</ref></blockquote>
The band had officially changed their name back to Bison by the time of the release of their 2014 EP ''One Thousand Needles''.
== Band members == ;Current *James Farwell – guitar, vocals (2006–present) *Dan And – guitar, vocals (2006–present) *Matt Wood – drums (2011–present) *Shane Clark – bass (2015–present)
;Former *Brad Mackinnon – drums (2006–2011) *Masa Anzai – bass (2006–2015)
== Discography == === Studio albums === *''Quiet Earth'' (2008, Metal Blade Records) *''Dark Ages'' (2010, Metal Blade Records) *''Lovelessness'' (2012, Metal Blade Records) *''You Are Not the Ocean You Are the Patient'' (2017, Pelagic Records)
=== EPs === *''Earthbound'' (2007) *''One Thousand Needles'' (2014)
== References == {{reflist}}
== External links == {{Commons category}} *{{Facebook|bisonbc|Bison B.C.}} *[http://bison.bandcamp.com/ Bandcamp] *{{allmusic}}
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Category:Canadian sludge metal musical groups Category:Canadian stoner rock musical groups Category:Canadian doom metal musical groups Category:Canadian thrash metal musical groups Category:Metal Blade Records artists Category:Musical groups from Vancouver Category:Musical groups established in 2003 Category:Canadian musical quartets Category:2003 establishments in British Columbia