He Whose Ox Is Gored – “Paralyzer” [7″ Review]

Holy Big Business and The Melvins, Batman! The awesome Seattle progressive doom bunch He Whose Ox Is Gored is back to punch people in the ears (neck, mouth, etc.). They only recently did their first album in 2015’s The Camel, The Lion, The Child; preferring their release style of doing EPs as opposed to full-lengths, where you get to see a lot more of their changes and progressions than most musical outfits. Their Paralyzer 7” is yet again another facet of this gem of a band.

The title cut for the 7” sees Jack Endino (producer – TAD, Supersuckers, Nirvana) all over this for his mix. This song totally brings a pre-explosive vibe of the grunge ’90s here to maximum effect. The band also have a lot of alternative touches with a lot more atmosphere and texture than most acts that just straight-up crunch. “Buried Twice (NWXYS Slime Mix)” is more in tune to what they lay down, with a nice groove placed on a thick blanket of fuzz; meanwhile the closing track “Void Assault (VOIDED Mix)”, gently caresses you in a dream-state ambience.

Pleasantly surprising balance for an EP, definitely worth the time for those who just don’t want your average music filler taking up valuable headspace. It also means, even more so, that they can’t further avoid finally getting another full-length for their growing audience.

Paralyzer Track Listing:

01. Paralyzer (Endino Mix)
02. Buried Twice (NWXYS Slime Mix)
03. Void Assault (VOIDED Mix)

Run Time: 11:15
Release Date: June 16, 2017

Check out the full 7″ Paralyzer EP stream