OXBLOOD – Siren / Tides

Here is a review I did back in 2014, when Snow Burial called themselves Oxblood.  I highly suggest you revisit their old catalog, pure bliss.  You can also check out Snow Burial’s newer tunes here:

https://snowburial.bandcamp.com/music

You know, being a part of this Rock in Chicago team has really opened me up to so many great local Chicago talent that I would have never been exposed to otherwise.  One of the bands that found its way into my regular rotation is Oxblood.  Holy shit, when I first heard this band’s submission, I was floored…..  floored so much that I wanted to feature them on the premiere episode of the Doc Metal Show.  After countless playthroughs of their first EP, Siren, I can say that THIS is what I would call a sound, maybe even a new genre, that Chicago is going to be known for.  This doomy, sludgy, post-metal/rocky sound, which utterly shatters me to my core, is a sound that Oxblood has pretty much perfected…..and I know that other people will study this sound and try to mimic it.  This ladies and gentlemen is a new era for music…an era of music that Chicago will be known for, as Sweden and Norway are known for theirs.

Oxblood just dropped their newest EP, “Tides.”  I am going to kill two birds with one stone and review this EP and their first EP, “Siren”. 

“Siren”.  5 songs that are so different from each other but just “make sense” together.  From the opening bass riff of “Stripmine” to the noisy, yet serene ending of “Eve”…  This EP made me fall in love with Oxblood.  I challenge you, reader, to go to their Bandcamp page here:

http://oxblood.bandcamp.com/album/siren

Listen to “Dogs” in its entirety.  I guarantee you that just halfway through this track, you’ll stare at your monitor in awe while your ears are filled with this amazing goodness.  Remember that time your girlfriend woke you up on your birthday with a blowjob?  Yeah.  That’s the feeling you get listening to this.  Trust me.

When I got an email notification that this album was available, I admit I danced a jig.  What a hell of a release.  Punishing riffs, haunting vocals, the whole package is just golden.  I am loving this release more and more with each listen.  I wish there were more than just 4 tracks!  Without a doubt, “Torn” is my favorite track on this sophomore release.  Fans of Big Business, Tool, and any post-rock/metal will absolutely love this EP.  Here is the link to “Tides”.  Go.  Now.  Listen and marvel.

http://oxblood.bandcamp.com/album/tides