Earlier this year, Denver's Oryx released Stolen Absolution, their latest full-length album. The eight-song effort tackled sociopolitical and ecological crises through a torrid fusion of sludge and doom. The February release is the group's best yet. Tommy and Abbey Davis continue to grow not just as musicians, but as a beautiful couple, it all ultimately makes Oryx's music much more cohesive and engrossing. Yet, if their Stolen Absolution wasn't enough to tide fans over. The now trio has a surprise new EP to share.
Born Into Madness is the first recorded material with new bassist Eric Dodgion. The two tracks, "Proliferation" and Consumption", showcase a grittier low-end given the added bass, of course. In addition, the songs are further evidence of Oryx's evolution into one of the best examples of this sort of sludge and doom. "Proliferation" and "Consumption" both clear the nine-minute mark—longer than any song on Stolen Absolution. Towering riffs with tinges of feedback accentuate parts of each track. The shifts between mid-tempo grooves and lurching death-doom arrangements are the most enthralling portions of these songs.
Stream Born Into Madness now and pick up a copy of it from Bandcamp. Oryx hits the road with Un starting at the beginning of November. Be sure to check them out in a city near you.