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BYGONE "Bygone"
BYGONE "Bygone"
By Dr. Abner Mality
Svart Records out of Finland is one of the most interesting labels out there. They have a knack for finding hidden gems in all genres, not just metal. With BYGONE, they've really hit the jackpot when it comes to 70's proto-metal and hard prog. I've not heard of this band before, but they include members of MAGIC CIRCLE and BLAZON RITE, among others, and that caught my attention.
This is some really authentic 70's drenched jamming that has nods to URIAH HEEP, CAPTAIN BEYOND and BLUE OYSTER CULT, along with more obscure hard rockers from the time of mood rings and pet rocks. It's heavy enough to keep the interest of metalheads but if you are a fan of "good ol' rock", there's plenty to enjoy about BYGONE. They have a sound that's warm and buttery, perfectly analog, mixing fuzzy guitar riffs with snappy drums and organic synth/organ sounds straight outta 1975. "Warm and buttery" also describes the smooth, deeper tones of the lead vocalist, whom my press sheet doesn't bother to identify. Call me crazy, but he sounds like the guy from PABLO CRUISE and going even further back, BLUES IMAGE. A type of vocal virtually unheard today.
The songs are medium length jams that unfold leisurely, without undue haste. Plenty of time for both guitar and keyboard solos to do their thing, as in "Lightspeed Nights", "Take Me Home" and "City Living". The ability of these tracks to transport you almost physically to a 70's era of rock is uncanny. "Into The Gleam", the shortest cut, is the most hard-driving and definitely has echoes of the NWOBHM, while "Fire In You, Fine In Me" is straight rock, rather laidback, until a blistering solo raises the temperature significantly.
They've also got some cool sci-fi/fantasy lyrics that recall the days of Moorcock and Silverberg at their peak and that also fits BYGONE like a comfortable shoe. If music is a time machine, BYGONE's debut is a terrific example of it.
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