Need an End-of-the-World Soundtrack? This Denver Band Has You Covered

Even if the members behind the Denver death-doom trio Oryx don’t survive the end of the world, in whatever form that takes, they like the idea that their music will outlast them. It’s an endearing thought that even makes the band more optimistic than others in the misanthropic subgenre.

This dichotomy of heaviness and hope is at the core of Oryx’s new album, Primordial Sky, released on October 18 via Pennsylvania label Translation Loss Records. Comprising four songs, the EP ultimately unfolds like the great Greek myth of the “phoenix rising from the ashes,” according to bassist Josh Kauffman.

“We’re trying to look to the future as people and a band,” he adds.

By that, he means way into the future, not just 2025. Vocalist and guitarist Tommy Davis, who started Oryx as a duo with his partner, drummer Abigail Davis, references the rise and fall of past civilizations when discussing humanity’s tendency to repeatedly cave in on itself.

“I feel like it’s part of the genome of humans; it’s really intrinsic in our nature. But there have been many epochs – Sumerians, Egyptians, Mayans and all these other civilizations – that have had extreme technological advancements, but they also had a great connectivity with the Earth and the Earth’s cycles,” he explains.

As Oryx sees it, that’s not the case today. Recent progress has come at a steep price, and it’s almost time to collect.

“All the best reports have given us projections that the Earth is going to be increasingly more uninhabitable as the years go on. This is not, like, a hippie or environmentalist take. I think it’s very realist. It’s also not nihilistic. That’s what we’re apparently in the middle of. I think that the human response to that is really interesting,” Tommy explains, adding that there’s a selfishness surrounding it all, a feeling of “If I can fuck over my neighbor and get a little bit of a gain, I’ll fucking do it,” he says.

“That’s the vibe that I feel our society has at this point. There’s this really dark aspect to that, because it knows no bounds,” he continues. “I think where our music comes in is trying to see past that and see the re-emergence of man post-apocalyptic and post-destruction.”

It’s a lot to wrap your head around in only 45-plus minutes – this idea of a post-human existence that benefits the planet – but it’s effective in leading listeners who dive in on an emotional journey. That’s become Oryx’s calling card since initially forming in Las Cruces, New Mexico, in 2012 before relocating to Denver a decade ago.

“It’s not pop music. It’s not meant to be digestible like this quick, easy thing. It’s meant to be immersive and experiential,” Tommy admits. “Sometimes it does require the listener to bring to the table a certain amount of patience and commitment. But it’s been very satisfying to see when we’re given the chance, it’s like a journey: Once you enter it, they’re happy to be a part of it.”

That’s part of why Abigail calls the band’s sound “hopeful doom,” particularly when it comes to Primordial Sky.

“Listening to, say, hopeful doom, singing about Earth, it’s atmospheric and heavy, but it’s not nihilistic. I love that, too, but I also love the beauty of doom, the heaviness of that,” she says, adding that bringing Kauffman on board in 2022 felt like a natural addition and strengthened the message behind the latest album. “We all came in in a really positive way and approached writing together as a fun challenge. We were looking forward to it. I think that bled out to the music.”

The opening title track, the longest song at just over thirteen minutes, sets the tone, and naturally points to the world’s beginning, the primordial soup, that predates all life. Followed by “Myopic” and “Ephemeral,” Primordial Sky takes us into the age of man and its inherent destructive nature that inevitably results in cataclysm. The finale, “Look Upon the Earth,” with a runtime just under the thirteen-minute mark, simultaneously serves as a postmortem epitaph and subsequent prologue for whatever comes next, a turning of the page.

“I think Primordial Sky represents, in a bizarre sense, that there may be another humankind that could rise up after us that is more conscious and more connected to the Earth and less destructive,” Davis says. “I have a philosophical mindset, not in a nihilistic way, that is more evidence-based that humanity is extremely destructive. I think our album is hopeful for that next step. That there is a higher consciousness that emerges out of the ashes of this civilization.”

Dissecting it is certainly heady, but it doesn’t distract from the music Oryx conjures up. On the surface, it’s still devastating doom, a crushing wave of sonic sludge and fuzz that any dedicated metalhead can enjoy. See Oryx for yourself on Friday, January 10, at the hi-dive for a hometown release show. Colorado’s Midwife, Ethan Lee McCarthy’s (Primitive Man, Vermin Womb) Many Blessings, and Aridus of New Mexico are also on the bill. It’s going to be a good time.

“If you’ve seen us live, I’m smiling the entire time I’m playing drums,” Abigail shares. “We’re genuinely positive people. The three of us are on the same page in terms of positivity and looking forward.”

Since moving to the Front Range, Oryx steadily staked its claim as one of the best local acts around. In a metal-mad city, it’s become common for bands to name-drop Oryx as a favorite. For example, Kauffman was a fan first and shared similar music tastes with the duo – bands such as Neurosis and Corrupted – before officially joining.

“Just going to shows and talking gear and music, helping move cabs whenever needed,” he explains. “As a two-piece back in the day, they needed all the help they could get with cabs and getting off the stage in a timely manner.”

Tommy Davis, who owns Filament Amp Repair, has also worked on all of Kauffman’s amplifiers, he adds.

Primordial Sky, the followup to 2021 record Lamenting a Dead World, is the first to feature Kauffman.

“Now we have a third member that musically we really jell with in a way that we haven’t experienced before,” Tommy says.

The fortified trio feels like it’s finally found its voice, he adds, especially since the idea is to always move forward in ways that serve Oryx best. Abigail agrees.

“Every album has progressed. I think a lot of that is Tommy and I writing music for twelve years. It has been about us growing as people and as musicians ourselves. If you’re not growing as a band or as musicians, then what are you doing? Every album should be better and different than the one you just put out. That’s just our approach. At the same time, that’s what I want from every album. I want to progress. I want to get better,” she says.

The proof is in the pudding, too. Since its release, Primordial Sky has been met with positive press, including a recent feature in Decibel magazine, and is now making appearances on year-end, Best of 2024 lists across the metal underground.

“The response we’ve had from those songs has been mind-blowing,” Abigail says. “It’s fun to earn people’s trust that the journey is worth it. We’ve worked at that, too. It’s something that fills you at the end of it when you hear reviews.”

“It feels earned,” Tommy adds. “There’s a different feedback that we’ve gotten from people, like, ‘I was with you during that journey.’ That’s different than ‘That song is cool.'”

It’s cool to see Oryx get its flowers, too. But if Primordial Sky is your first foray into the Denver crew’s doom, “you have to strap in and be ready for that journey,” Kauffman concludes.

Oryx, with Midwife, Many Blessings, Aridus, 8 p.m. Friday, January 10, hi-dive, 7 South Broadway. Tickets are $25.