[photo by Invisible Hour]
With the release of The Camel, The Lion, The Child, the mammoth eight-track, near hour-long exercise in sonic alchemy from Seattle-based atmospheric progressive sludge conjurors, HE WHOSE OX IS GORED, now less than one month away from its official unveiling, today the riff tyrants at The Obelisk offer up a new psalm for municipal consumption.
Captured at Red Room and Ex Ex Audio in Seattle by Robert Cheek (Serial Hawk, Noise-A-Tron etc.) with additional recording at Avast Studios with Randall Dunn (Sunn O))), Earth, Wolves In The Throne Room etc.), mixed by Matt Bayles (Isis, Mastodon etc.) and mastered by frequent collaborator, Blake Bickel, The Camel, The Lion, The Child is a cathartic audio expedition that transcends far beyond traditional musical boundaries with a meticulous yet organically-implemented amalgamation of technical guitar compositions and atmospheric synth sequences over a pummeling rhythm section, the end result yielding a uniquely cinematic soundscape that paints a world ready to thrash and burn.
“They are disfiguring the expectations of metal, noise, punk and dance in the best ways,” proclaims Metal Riot in an advance investigation of the record. Likening the band to House Of Lightning, Lightning Bolt or The August Engine-era Hammers Of Misfortune, the popular blog furthers, “HWOIG are full of riff workout moments such as all of ‘Magazina’ that you would imagine could tire the fingers of even some of the most seasoned fret teasers. Yet the band also mine a certain gothic sludge, scraping or feasting from a neon new wave glowing blackened ooze of resin fried to the Lynchian Id at the back of the Skull.” Two Guys Metal Reviews concurs, “HE WHOSE OX IS GORED have used The Camel, The Lion, The Child to reaffirm their greatness and prove that this kind of music will always be heartbreaking… With a gloriously diverse sound and all sorts of cool twists and turns to keep the listener engaged they have gone above and beyond on this record with jazzy moments accenting utter brutality and prog giving way to jams. HE WHOSE OX IS GORED understands the true power of heavy music and every moment spent with them is one you will remember.” Adds Rock Shock Pop, “This is weird stuff, but it’s easy to get lost in it. Put it on with the lights down, the volume up and let it play. Concentrate on it, give it your full attention and The Camel, The Lion, The Child turns out to be a wholly unique listening experience…. At times this does feel like an exercise in mood and atmosphere, in creating a feeling more than traditional songwriting, but there’s something very cool and very interesting going on with this band.”
In celebration of its forthcoming release, today The Obelisk thrusts forth third movement, the fittingly titled, “Crusade,” issuing, “HE WHOSE OX IS GORED have put in some obviously-valuable road time over the last couple years, so maybe it’s not such a shocker that The Camel, The Lion, The Child would be so assured of its goals and so up to the ambitious task it sets for itself, but taken across its span, it still feels surprising just how far beyond expectation the band go in their songwriting and in their big-picture conceptual construction.”
Witness “Crusade,” now playing at The Obelisk, at THIS LOCATION.
You can also sample “Omega,” streaming at Cvlt Nation at THIS LOCATION.
HE WHOSE OX IS GORED has been rumbling the underground masses with their eclectic, oft trance-inducing fusion of doom, prog rock, post-hardcore and psychedelic shoegaze since their inception in 2009. The band released their debut EP, Op Amps, later that year on their own Void Assault label. Featuring heavy guitars and atmospheric synth-centric soundscapes, the band managed to bend genres into a formidable crossover composite. In 2010, the obscure unit unleashed their Tad Doyle (TAD, Brothers Of The Sonic Cloth)-produced follow-up, Op Amps II: Into The Ethers. Through multiple tours and personnel shifts, the band continued to refine their sound and entered Seattle’s Red Room Studios with Chris Common. The resulting Nightshade EP was three tracks of crushing doomgaze, built on texture and aggression. Following the release of their critically-adored, Bleeding Light Records-issued Rumors 7″ last year which Cvlt Nation likened to a, “frothing, boiling cauldron of doom, spilling forth expansive riffs, pummeling beats and haunting vocals,” the band will undrape their highly-anticipated full-length debut next month.
HE WHOSE OX IS GORED‘s The Camel, The Lion, The Child will be released digitally and on limited edition vinyl (500 double gatefold LP) via Bleeding Light Records on October 9th, 2015 with Breathe Plastic Records (Netherlands) releasing a limited edition tape version of the production. Preorders are currently available at THIS LOCATION.
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