The Camel The Lion The Child

Band Of The Week (updated)- He Whose Ox Is Gored

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There are a handful of bands that I’ve written about here that really get me excited. One of those bands is He Whose Ox Is Gored. Ever since I first heard them, I’ve become enthralled by what they do. This four piece from Seattle is starting to really take the underground music scene by storm. Their mix of doom, shoegaze, and ambience are perfectly blended into their heavy and emotional sound. Their full length album The Camel, The Lion, The Child is still in constant rotation on my stereo and turntable. One thing that I really love about He Whose Ox Is Gored is the way the sparse vocals resonate through their songs. The lyrics and vocals add another dimension to their hypnotic sound. It’s almost as though the vocals invoke a whole different beast.

He Whose Ox Is Gored is the type of band that can transcend just being another heavy band. They have all the parts to make them not only stand out among their peers but, also the talent to really leave their own mark and inspire other bands. Do yourself a favor and buy their album and play it loud and proudly. You’ll thank me later for it.

 

He Whose Ox Is Gored- The Camel, The Lion, The Child:

 

Fainting Room Collective 7”:

 

Live at Saint Vitus Bar New York:

 

Band In Seattle:

 

Tour Dates:

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Album Review: He Whose Ox Is Gored- The Camel, The Lion, The Child

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A while back I wrote a band of the week piece about a band from Washington called He Whose Ox Is Gored. They have fast become a band that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed since I found out about them. Their influences of multiple genres have allowed them to experiment to zero in on just what their sound is. I coined them as doom-gaze for their love of doom metal and shoe gaze. Now they have just released their debut full length The Camel, The Lion, The Child. This album is epic by nature and pulls you in with each song. The band has really found their stride especially with songs like “Oathbreaker,” Crusade,” and “Cairo.” There is something aggressive and heavy to the songs, but on a deeper level. Lyrics are scarce yet meaningful, and the band lets the music do the talking, just like how Isis used to do. Another thing that I’ve noticed in the progression of He Whose Ox Is Gored, is that they have really adopted more melody into their songs. Rather than it being a wall of noise, there is a balance between the heaviness and the more delicate nature of some of the parts, especially with the keyboards. The album was mixed by Matt Bayles (Mastodon, Isis) and Randall Dunn (SunnO, Earth) and it really shows. This album is a great leap for this band, and it’s only the beginning of where they can go from here.

scale of 1-10: 9

https://www.facebook.com/hewhoseoxisgoredseattle

http://hwoig.com/

By: Brian Lacy