HERBE DE BIZON

This group is coming from the heart of France (the city of Troyes in the Champagne region), their first album is one charming orange affair, even if the artwork sleeve reminds us more of a zebra than a buffalo (Bison).

Musically, the jazz-rock developed here does sound heavily influenced - the finale Blizzard is more than a little "borrowed" from Crimson's Starless (the lenghty crescendo - but holds enough personality to be a good promise for their next album. The three-part La Trêve (the truce) is strongly reminiscent of Moerlen's Gong (vibes are of course the giveaway) and Juliette is a superb workout for Volcano's guitar.

Overall, this is a very promising album even if the use of vibes and flutes are a little too systematic/predicatble, I am seriously waiting for the next album which should not be too long in coming.