https://www.high-endrolex.com/18

Video Interview: Oryx Talk Lamenting a Dead World, the Scourge of Individualism, and More

oryx

Denver-by-way-of-New-Mexico sludge extremists Oryx will release their third full-length, Lamenting a Dead World, on April 30. Their first offering made through Translation Loss, it is — no big surprise here — not the album they thought it would be a year ago. At that time, they were planning to hit Earhammer Studios in Oakland, California, with Brainoil‘s Greg Wilkinson (who wound up mixing/mastering) at the helm, and just like everyone else doing anything just about anywhere, they found themselves needing to change plans. Please try to contain your shock.

I can’t speak to what Lamenting a Dead World might’ve been in other circumstances, but in this reality’s 2021, it’s a fucking beast. Five tracks running from “Contempt” to the eerily hopeful and more-complex-than-you-probably-think-it-is 15-minute closer “Oblivion,” the Ben Romsdahl-produced affair finds Oryx‘s founding duo of drummer Abigail Davis and guitarist/vocalist Tommy Davis opening the band in new ways — not the least of which is the inclusion of a third party, bassist Eric Dodgion, in theoryx lamenting a dead world creative process. Coming off of their 2018 sophomore LP, Stolen Absolution, which was produced for maximum mass by Dave Otero, the new record finds Oryx striking a balance between rawness and breadth and delivering both with volume and atmosphere that are consuming in kind.

With guest vocals on the early cut “Misery” by Erika Osterhout, synth on the aforementioned finale by Paul Riedl, textures and whatnot by Primitive Man‘s Ethan McCarthy (also Many Blessings) and an overall more experimental, broad-reaching approach that Tommy and Abigail credit in part to Romsdahl as producer and in part to being forced off the road to basically sit in quarantine with this material for the better part of 2020, Lamenting a Dead World exists in a space that is charred black with “Contempt,” ready to shut down its own mind in “Misery,” deathly in its force on centerpiece “Last Breath,” ambient in its title-track and finding rebirth in the end of all things at its close. It is an effective encapsulation of horror and succeeds with a creative voice that is abidingly and strikingly human.

I’ll not mince words: these two were sweethearts and this was a fun chat. I’d been forced to reschedule owing to family emergency and they very kindly obliged. When we “hung up” — or whatever it is you do on Zoom — I was glad that we’d been able to find a new time.

I hope you enjoy as well:

Oryx, Lamenting a Dead World Interview, March 22, 2021

Once again, Oryx‘s Lamenting a Dead World is out April 30 through Translation Loss. Preorders are up now.

Oryx, Lamenting a Dead World (2021)

Oryx on Thee Facebooks

Oryx on Instagram

Oryx on Bandcamp

Translation Loss Records on Facebook

Translation Loss Records on Instagram

Translation Loss Records website

Translation Loss Records webstore

Tags: , , , , ,

Leave a Reply