I get eternally hype whenever I find a great new band from Denver or Colorado in general. The Denver metro area, a perpetually expanding and developing urban and suburban stretch alongside the Rocky Mountains that runs around ~100 miles from the south around the Castle Rock area all the way up north past me to Greeley, has been my home for nearly 30 years. I unquestionably have a deep connection to it, even if I didn’t want it. This place made me, this body is built by green chile and some of the best Mexican food you can get outside of California and Texas. I think it’s natural for me, and you, to likewise feel some sort of connection to something cool produced out of the same area you call home. This place has a mood to it; a vibe. It’s captured in different ways through the myriad of artists that have come from here, but if you pay attention and explore, you’ll find many express themselves with doom, sludge, or post-metal proclivities.
ORYX are interesting in that they’re not from here, but they’ve been here long enough that not only do they fit into Colorado’s specific brand of beautiful tumult, they’ve iterated and expanded on it in a special way because of their literal roots in Las Cruces, New Mexico. This is something that captured my attention when I found out about them and their then-new album, Lamenting a Dead World, dropped in 2021 during a time where it was hard not to see our world as dead or dying – and things have only gotten worse. But a new album on the horizon – and I do mean horizon, Primordial Sky drops this Friday, October 18 – seeks to rebirth our world and our own perspective on it. This gave me a prime opportunity to speak with them as our latest Weekly Featured Artist, and I want to thank both Abigail and Thomas Davis upfront for taking the time to do just that with me.
The fact of the matter is ORYX haven’t and likely never will forget where they’re from, another sentiment I can identify with. It’s ingrained in them. ‘While Denver has offered us more venues and a broader community, our songwriting is still heavily influenced by our Las Cruces roots,’ they say. ‘The DIY scene there was legendary, hosting countless shows that helped us find our own musical voice. It’s a place that shaped us deeply, and its impact is still evident in our music today.‘ As one of the biggest cities in New Mexico, it makes sense there’d be a large congregation of artists from there, and wow they run the gamut, from Latin and mariachi bands for hire, to bands still writing their underground story like progressive thrash outfit Beyond the Ash. The place seems scrappy as hell, impassioned and communal just as ORYX have implied. Even still, their music is bigger than any one city, state, or country’s influence which goes far in establishing their approachability in a dense genre like extreme metal – ‘Our music is not based on one area in the country, rather a more macro viewpoint. It transcends regional boundaries and focuses on universal themes. We could write the same material in any city, as our lyrics delve into the profound experiences and complexities of human existence.‘
Both self-taught musicians who cut their teeth and honed skills in that DIY environment, Thomas (guitars and vocals) and Abigail (drums) are the creative core of the band, joined presently by Joshua Kauffman on bass. The name ORYX calls to mind the famous recurring raid boss Oryx, the Taken King in the Destiny video game franchise because I’m a fucking nerd, but the band took the name from an imported African antelope that was introduced in the area in the 1970s and is now considered huntable big game. Oryxes are outsiders to the New Mexican ecosystem even for as well as they’ve been integrated and grown in numbers over the decades, but it’s still an identity that the band found themselves taking to heart; ‘We related to it, feeling like outsiders ourselves growing up in a small town. Plus, oryx are known for their brutal nature, even impaling cars with their horns. People often underestimate them. There’s definitely a parallel there.‘
It’s also, admittedly, just a cool name from the jump, phonetic and powerful, a curvy, unique mixture of vowels and consonants that we don’t get too often in English (the word itself originates from Greek as many cool things do). It’s a great choice of name for this band as their output mirrors this attitude as well. A blend of doom, sludge, and death metal makes everything they produce seismically weighty, true elephantine metal that doesn’t skimp on any element of the genre: rhythm, melody, heaviness, tone, and mood. It should go without saying that ORYX‘s music is dark, though not hopelessly so. Just like the night skies under rural or natural Colorado, far from the blinding city lights that can rob us of celestial beauty, you can see the subtle starlight in their music and begin to map a path of progress through the black. Lamenting a Dead World was keen on delivering abject darkness as a warning, but their newest LP pivots in some interesting directions that rend a new hope for the future from that darkness.
Primordial Sky, out October 18 digitally and November 22 physically via Translation Loss Records, is massive, replete with existential and philosophical musings that at times, especially along with key instrumental parts, are freeing, positive even. It’s deep and purposeful. In their own words:
‘The themes in Primordial Sky examine the complex existential conflict between the individual and the universe. The human experience is portrayed as a fleeting and insignificant moment in the grand scheme of things. However, there’s also an exploration of transcendence, a possibility of breaking free from the limitations of the physical body and ego. The final lines on the record, ‘Death a womb, warm and thriving,‘ describe death not as an end but a transition, a new beginning on a cosmic level.‘
It’s only four songs, but a hearty 41 minutes long in true doom metal fashion. The middle two tracks have been released as singles for us to chew on, and wow are they meaty. The acoustic, almost folk-like timbre in the center of “Myopic” is flanked by some of the best writing and melodies the band have ever put out, rivaling long-time faves of mine like Temple of Void and URSA (RIP) (or Khemmis and Spectral Voice if you want that Denver connection). Everything just feels so deliberate and surgical, largely due to Abigail’s very astute and calculated drumming. You’ll hear no extended bars of blast beats here despite a palpable death metal vein coursing through ORYX, but you will hear crisp cymbal splashes like water beneath our feet and drum fills akin to the tumble of earth falling from mountains and hilltops. There is literally no lacking part of this song, a marvel for something seven minutes long.
“Ephemeral” on the other hand is… well, it’s more of the same actually, in a good way. Already, these two songs establish a stylistic theme and it’s pretty apparent that they put their all into this album with pretty obvious steps made to refine their craft. “Ephemeral” is arguably more dense than “Myopic” and the movement it showcases is as electric as it is destitute. Thomas’ guitars are eloquent with finger-twisting solos and succinct, punchy riffs abound, and I love that we can hear the bass rumble quite audibly across the whole record. It’s all three-dimensional, an increasingly lost art among the more cavernous sounds of this type. Despite the title, there’s nothing really ephemeral about the music on this song, some of the riffs burrowing into my head for days, triggered at any given time and compelling me to indulge in my baser instincts (the descending riff four minutes in is grade-A lizard brain shit in the best way possible).
The opening title track and closer “Look Upon The Earth” are monsters on their own, probably my favorites on Primordial Sky and that’s saying a lot. I won’t spoil much as this isn’t supposed to be a proper review, suffice to say that ORYX have reached a veritable high point with their execution. There’s some really ethereal work on here, something you may not expect from subgenres that wield this much weight without more pure atmospheric sections, but the pacing and tempos ORYX play with enable them to let the music breathe when necessary. It’s the kind of stuff that matches up perfectly with the album’s cover art. When I initially shared “Myopic” to my pals, I said the music is not what you’d expect from the art, but in retrospect this is a surface-level reaction. Painter John Harris‘ work was a natural fit for this album – ‘His works follow themes of nature, spirituality, and the human connection to the natural world that align with concepts behind our music.‘ It’s alluring and bright, a far cry from the (also amazing) art Ettore Aldo Del Vigo did for Lamenting a Dead World.
The process for developing this new album wasn’t out of the ordinary or wholly different from before:
‘Our songwriting process for this album followed a similar pattern to our previous releases. The reality is we (Thomas and Abbey) have been writing and playing music together for twelve years and we have our routine down. However, with the addition of our new bassist, Joshua Kauffman, in 2022, it brought a fresh perspective to the creative process and allowed us to explore new sonic territories.‘
The work is unmistakably noticeable even to someone like me who’s a more recent fan of theirs, though it wasn’t always easy – ‘The three of us each pushed our limits, both physically and mentally, to write and record Primordial Sky, ultimately delivering an album that we’re incredibly proud of.‘ Thomas and Abigail’s history is further bolstered from them having a deep personal relationship for years as well:
‘Our unique communication style, both verbal and nonverbal, does play a pivotal role in our creative process. We’ve developed a shared language and unspoken cues that guide our songwriting. It’s a kind of practiced communication that helps us connect on a deeper level and create music that’s truly authentic to our band.’
This unity and understanding is also felt and heard in how each song is formed, where everyone is lockstep in a way that goes beyond simple member chemistry and rehearsal. In that sense, ORYX transcend the expected in ways that extend further than their raw musicianship and performance, also transcendental and true to their intent and themes for Primordial Sky. They expounded on those a bit more from before:
‘Our album aims to inspire reflection on humanity’s place in the universe. By exploring themes such as existentialism, life, death, and the cosmos; we hope to provoke thought and spark meaningful conversations. We hold a strong belief that music has the power to challenge our perspectives and broaden our understanding of the world around us.’
Lofty goals, but job well done I’d say. Even this very interview has given me a new respect and understanding of ORYX and their work, far from raw catharsis and chest-beating metal that others provide (though I love that stuff too) and far from just another Denver band as they see themselves as an independent entity within a community in the midst of a creative renaissance. ‘We feel like we have found our own voice here amongst so many great bands. It is a thriving scene. We also have a lot of love for the scene in Colorado Springs and feel a strong connection with the amazing folks there keeping DIY alive.‘
Primordial Sky will be the second release on Philadelphia-based label Translation Loss Records. They’re in great company with Labyrinth of Stars (on my knees wishing for a new album soon!), Generation of Vipers (who just dropped a ripper), Giant Squid, Ashbringer, Xythlia, several GOATed Ethan Lee McCarthy projects, and many more. I’ve noticed bands switching labels between projects often nowadays as they are wont and entitled to do in order to find an ideal partner in realizing their art and bringing it to an audience, but for a band to lay roots and stick around says something for the partnerships forged in that pursuit (contracts and other legally binding stuff aside). ‘Translation Loss Records is a true champion of the underground music scene,’ they reveal. ‘Their passion and enthusiasm for ORYX, along with their efforts to promote our music, has been invaluable. We’re incredibly grateful for their belief in us and their commitment to helping us reach a wider audience.‘
ORYX are certainly a band greater than the sum of their parts – it ultimately doesn’t matter where they come from because they are true and committed to themselves and their art above all. Although I hold them up high as a cherished Denver export and recommend them as such as a testament to the scene’s burgeoning roster of serious musicians, it’s great to see a band so confident in themselves artistically. Still, I wonder where the future will take them. Their uphill trajectory says the sky’s the limit, and as long as I can look up and see the stars at night, I’ll never forget that myself. The band are understandably more presently oriented however, and their last message is a simple, humble one:
‘Shout out to everyone that is giving Primordial Sky a spin, cheers!’
