Even Oxen – The Goat Lamb of God
Even Oxen is an artist who lives in Texas, USA, and dedicates his craft to Jesus Christ. The Christian philosopher’s catalogue is comprised of recordings between 2015-2020. His music is soulful, warm, and surprisingly innovative.
The gentle strums of Psalm 18 beautifully open the album, followed by an incredibly abrasive yet soulful wall of noise. The warm, subtle sections are so incredibly lush and varied; their atmosphere divine. The track progresses with grace and elegance, encapsulating the listener with a warm cloak. The track masterfully evolves into the next track, My Sins were Forgiven by the Son. Even Oxen has a gentle, down-to-Earth voice, and the guitar here is as inviting as ever. There is little innovation in this song until the rasping final 20 seconds, which is an awesome set up for the third song, Every Eye Will See God Come Down. The track is a good length, and the production here is stunning despite being so rough around the edges. The distortion is implemented tastefully; beautifully entwining the canals of noise-rock and folk-rock. While the atmosphere is stellar, it’s sadly lacking direction. Early in the Morning further explores the interesting noise-folk dynamic, though sadly feels unbalanced in its mix – it’s often difficult to decipher the intricacies. Additionally, the composition is somewhat lacking in comparison to the exquisite opening three songs, though ends well. Soli Deo Gloria is gorgeous; the vocals here are divine. The track is once again a good length, though I would have liked to hear some more noise throughout the song. Finding salvation continues to trend; while being a nice closing song, is missing the style of music you beautifully perfected in the first half of the album.
Rarely does Christian music sound so soulful, experimental and most importantly non-preachy. If you’re a hardcore atheist, don’t let that stop you from experiencing this beautiful little record. While the first half of the album is vastly superior, the EP is a wonderful length and a pleasure to listen to all the way through.
Good
You can listen to him here:
Even Oxen – The Goat Lamb of God
