OXEN
are the type of band I love discovering on The Sludgelord. A band who
come out of nowhere and grab my attention that I make contact with
the band to review their new album. And OXEN just did that.
I
saw their brilliant video for Transmission and it impressed the hell
out of me with it's style of Sludge/Stoner Rock spliced with superb
vocals to match. OXEN's debut album – The Vanishing – is an
incredible debut album. One listen is never enough as it has a ton of
great riffs waiting to be discovered.
I described the album as: “OXEN are a band that I've been keeping an eye on over the last few months or so. So when the band released a stunning video for their new single - Transmission - from their forthcoming debut album - The Vanishing. What can you expect with - The Vanishing. You get 46 minutes of fast-paced Sludge/Stoner Metal that will appeal to fans of Mastodon and Baroness.
The
Vanishing demands your full attention as it's one of the years most
exciting and thrilling debut albums you're likely to come across.
OXEN are looking for labels to release this album. Hopefully someone
will release this album as this album needs to be heard by as many
people as possible. OXEN have the talent, drive and vision to go a
very long way indeed.”
I
decided to find more about OXEN and they've kindly agreed to this
interview.
Hi
guys. Thanks for doing this. How are things with you today?
Hey
Steve. Things are great, thanks for the interview!
Can
you tell our readers of how the band came about and where it is
today?
OXEN
came about after I met Hans, whose wife I have known forever. We had
an instant bond through similar music interests and work ethic. We
jammed a few times and tried some people out, but no one clicked. I
asked Chris to play, having known him from working together at a
local music store and playing around western mass in the same scene
for years.
We
rounded out the lineup with a fellow tattooer, Andy Barrett on bass,
whom I worked with for a while. We ran with this lineup for a 5-song
demo, and our Glass Coffin e.p. After some differences, we parted
ways with Andy and found Eric, whom I knew from round the way party
jams. Today we are a tight uniform unit with a cohesive vision and
mutual respect for one another.
Before
we talk about your brilliant new album – The Vanishing – how
would you describe your choice of music? What can people expect
listening to your music?
I
would say OXEN’s music is built around a heavy riffs and melodies
with thundering rhythms and dynamic vocals. We try to defy genre and
just play what we like, being outside the box is a comfortable place
for us all. We have fun making our songs interesting to listen to,
not only musically but also lyrically. Each song has some underlying
theme, color and tone that tell a story, and riffs to drive it home.
The
Vanishing. WOW. What an album that is. Really impressed the heck out
of me. Thanks for sending me a copy to review. What is the album all
about as it has some really interesting ideas.
Man,
thank you so much. The album is a collection of stories, each song a
vignette to convey a singular idea. Hans and Chris are pretty much
the leads in vocal/lyrical concept department. Songs seem to have a
theme of dying in different scenarios. This Cursed Sand is dying in
the desert, looking for love. City In The Sea and Tomb Of The Ocean
are well, about dying in the ocean. Transmission, dying in outer
space. See Me Scream, an insane asylum after being haunted by ghost.
Colour Out of Space is in homage to Lovecraft and Waxwing a retelling
of Icarus & Daedalus. You get the idea.
Was
it an easy or hard album to write and record for?
On
the Glass Coffin we had very sparse vocals, as we were all finding
our approach to the microphone, but with time we collectively found
our voice. Songs kept showing up to the party as we were writing, but
it wasn’t necessarily easy or hard, it was a road we traveled
together to help coerce the sound out. We were set to record in April
’14, and one of us had a biking accident and broke their
collarbone, setting us back for quite some time. In hindsight, we
needed that time to refine the songs and concepts and build back up
with a hunger I do not think we had prior.
We
hit the studio in October and it was a thorough and deliberate
execution over a span of 4 months. We took our time with it. We are
very lucky to have Chris in the band, he is a great engineer/producer
and I think it shows on the record. Really it was a unifying process
that has helped us get to where we are and where we are headed.
What
is the song-writing dynamic in the band? Is it down to one individual
or a whole group process?
We
write collectively, each of us works our ass of for the group. I
personally am a spazz who never stops writing. I get up regularly at
5:30 am with the spark of an idea and head down to the rehearsal
studio. We have the space all miced up and I get a full composition
down within a few hours and dropbox it to the guys to see if they are
feeling the mood I am in that day.
Chris
writes at home, in his studio and with his producing skills, he
usually has the structure laid out or pretty close to what you hear
on the record. I think our two approaches help balance the ideas we
bring to the table. Eric started in OXEN right at beginning of
recording the lp and now he is bringing some slamming stuff for the
next record!
Hans
does a ton of homework and brings a super solid foundation to the
songs. At rehearsal it opens up to the group, and that is where it
all comes together. Then we record, dropbox and review it all week
until the next week. Our idea folder is chock full of a slew of new
material and we are off to a great start on the follow up to The
Vanishing.
You’ve
worked with some incredibly talented people on this record – Jeanne
Sagan (All That Remains) on Permanent Residence and Joel Stroezel
(Killswitch Engage) on The Matchstick. How did you get Jeanne and
Joel involved on the record as OXEN’s sound is very different from
their respective bands. And was it an easy task to convince them to
appear.
Western
Massachusetts has a bevy of talent from singer songwriter to world
touring pros. Most of us have been in bands around here for longer
than I would like to admit, and the metal/hardcore scene is pretty
small so if you are around long enough you meet a lot of people.
Jeanne
and Joel are not only amazing metal musicians, with impressive
resumes, but also sweet people with big ole hearts. I have tattooed
them both, and during sessions I brought the idea of them guesting on
stuff up in jest, but it came to reality. Jeanne sang first on a song
for a side project of mine called Ghost Smoker, right as she was
recording the new ATR record, and she was stoked for more mic time.
That led to OXEN keeping that in mind when headed in the studio.
Joel
is a great friend, and always pumped to hear new stuff from our camp.
It almost didn’t line up time wise as that man is pretty busy, but
luckily we were able to collaborate and he rips a really mean solo on
The Matchstick!
Plus
you’ve managed to get Aaron Harris to mix the album and Chris
Common to master the album. How did that come about and did they
provide any words of advice when they were working on your album.
That
was all Chris. Aaron and he struck up conversation and the rest is
history. Aaron brought a lot of creativity to the project; we are all
huge Isis fans and had faith that he would “get” our sound. He
nailed it in our opinion. He has been hugely supportive of us from
the get go, on to today. Chris Common was recommended by Aaron and
really made the record shine. Super stoked to have everyone on board!
The
main part from your album that impressed me the most were the vocals.
Now all 4 members contribute vocals to the album. Is it hard making
decisions which member sings which part? As you have a great style of
clean based vocals and the harsher based growls. Did you each
sing/record the same parts on the album but with different styles?
It
all comes natural to us. Everyone has his role, and we are all open
to criticism. If someone sounds off or a certain harmony doesn’t
work, we identify it together and fix it together. We did a lot of
learning in the prep for this record, which continued into the studio
itself. Trial and error and trying again helped us a ton. We were
talking the other day, and the progression from demo, to e.p to l.p
to where we are now has really taken shape and we feel as though we
are still sonically exploring everything we can without relegating
ourselves.
Why
did you choose the name OXEN for the band. Any specific meaning to
the band.
We
named the band after Hans’ dog.
What
is your musical setup when playing live and recording music?
We
are all gear nerds, we have the bug, bad. Chris and I play 612
cabinets that Hans built for us, with a few different heads, Orange,
Sunn and Verellen. Eric rocks a pair of 4x10 cabs with a Mesa head,
but that will probably change by the time this is out, knowing the
rate we flip stuff. Hans plays a straightforward dDrum kit and sings
his ass off while doing so. Recording, our rehearsal space is
outfitted with 16 channels of recording and Chris has a pro rig at
Yucky Studios.
You’re
looking for a record label to release your debut album. Have you had
much interest so far? Which formats will the album be released on.
And when will the album be available for people to buy. As I’ve had
a few people asking me.
We
have rifled out a bunch of stuff to a bunch of labels and have only
gotten one response. It was a decline, but a really positive one from
a label we really dig. We are being patient and ultimately if there
is no response we will move forward with trying to get it out on
vinyl ourselves.
Have
you thought about starting a crowd-funding project to help you
releasing the album physically? As a lot of upcoming bands and
artists are using this medium to release their music. Does this
appeal to you at all as a band.
We
aren’t opposed to it but would rather avoid it. We do everything in
house, recording, video production, graphic design, website etc. We
have a very strong rooted DIY approach to what we put out, and would
love a label to help promote the hard work we do. Ultimately we want
to see The Vanishing on vinyl, and I guess the crowd-funding thing is
a last resort for us, if there is no label interest.
Do
you guys perform gigs on a regular basis? If so, do you perform
regular in your hometown or do you have to travel further afield.
We
try to limit how much we play locally. We have started reaching
outwards from our home base a lot more and hopefully we can get some
rotation at some venues in New England and New York, but it has been
rough getting people to notice us. Hopefully the release of the album
will help change that.
Which
bands/artists are impressing you at the moment? Any particular albums
that are rocking your world.
I
would say quite a few in the local/regional area have been killing it
lately. Neon Fauna has a really awesome sound. Warm from CT have a
good thing going on. Dead Empires and Moon Tooth both from NY are
amazing. Oh, we played with this CT duo called Bedroom Rehab
Corporation and they crush! Our buddies in Problem With Dragons are
always on fire. As far as national stuff we all listen to a wide
range of stuff from Torche to Whore to The White Buffalo to
Phantogram to Czarface.
Well
guys thanks for doing this interview. Hope your album does get
released soon and hopefully vinyl. Do you have anything to say to
your fans before you go?
Be
sure to check out www.oxenmass.com
for video drops, album info and new merch all coming very very soon.
We collaborate with amazing artists, Courtney Brooke
(www.lightwitch.com)
is our photographer, David Salinas
(https://dribbble.com/anchorandbuffalo)
did our font logo, you should check out their works. We are stoked to
get this record heard, thanks for the interview Steve.
Words
by Steve Howe and OXEN
I
want to thank OXEN for taking out the time to talk to us here at The
Sludgelord. Let me tell you when I say their debut album – The
Vanishing – is a brilliant debut album and a contender for Album Of
The Year for me. If any labels are looking for new talent, sign these
guys as OXEN are an awesome band with a bright future ahead of them.
For
More Information
Check out the videos for Transmission and The Vanishing.
