Photo by Jonathan Lorange
Invisible Oranges is currently streaming Inheritance, the anticipated new full-length from Canadian chamber folk trio MUSK OX. The premiere arrives on the eve of the record’s official release, Friday, July 9th.
Inheritance comes seven years since MUSK OX‘s critically adored Woodfall full-length. Despite the long wait between albums however, the musicians within MUSK OX have remained prolific. Since 2014, MUSK OX classical guitarist Nathanael Larochette released a solo double album, a collaboration with poet Conyer Clayton, and two acclaimed full-lengths with the instrumental chamber metal quartet The Night Watch, of which MUSK OX violinist Evan Runge is also a member, while cellist Raphael Weinroth-Browne’s staggering output saw the debut release of the haunting cello/voice project The Visit, three improvised world music albums with the duo Kamancello, a stunning solo album and two full-length records with Norwegian prog masters Leprous as well as continuous appearances as a session musician.
Containing some of the group’s most ambitious as well as intimate material, Inheritance is a cathartic collection where wordless hymns of worry and wonder form the stirring soundtrack to an uncertain age of reckoning, reflection, and resilience.
Writes Invisible Oranges of the breathtaking release, “MUSK OX‘s impending Inheritance shows the band completely transformed from the metallic folkisms which defined their earlier works, now concentrating on the complexities of modern chamber music and the delicate touch of practiced classical guitar. Featuring long-form compositions and fragile instrumental interplay, the densely composed Inheritance plays out more like a progressive rock album than a folk album. Citing influences from a wide array of artists… MUSK OX‘s many tendrils grasp onto individual elements from their influences and creates a megalith which casts a daunting shadow.”
Stream Inheritance alongside an in-depth interview with the band exclusively at Invisible Oranges at THIS LOCATION.
View the band’s previously released video for “Memoriam” HERE.
Inheritance will be released independently July 9th on CD, LP, and digital formats. Find preordering options at THIS LOCATION.
“There’s nothing precisely metal happening on Inheritance, but it’s exactly the kind of instrumental folk/classical music that tends to get open-minded black metal fans excited. MUSK OX have opened for both Agalloch and Wardruna, which should give you a pretty good idea of where to file them. If you love slow-building, atmospheric, nature-evoking black metal, but don’t always actually want to hear the black metal parts, Inheritance is for you.” – Decibel
“MUSK OX play a gorgeous, evocative, contemplative instrumental chamber folk music. Never hurried, Inheritance picks up themes and melodies, explores variations, flows into new ones, and circles around to re-reference them again. At times wistful, at times insistent, the three instruments balance and play off each other, sometimes sharing melodies, sometimes in counterpoint… Beautiful, confident, and rewarding, Inheritance is a quiet triumph.” – Angry Metal Guy
“…a gorgeous dose of instrumental chamber folk…” – BrooklynVegan
“MUSK OX… melds the worlds of extreme metal antics with progressive rock scope and chamber music execution.” – Invisible Oranges
“…a more than worthwhile effort for anyone who wished that their favorite prog-metal group would just break down and play classical music.” – Avant Music News
“…an excellent example of acoustic doom – all of the sorrow, hopelessness, strife, and emotion without the electricity… Slow-paced and mournful, there is meaning here for everyone that will manifest individually as you listen.” – Flying Fiddlesticks
“It’s rare to see a band take it to the next level after 15 years and a whole mess of releases, but Musk Ox have found a way. Inheritance delights with its songs of the soul perpetually delving deeper and bringing listeners into exciting new soundspaces.” – Two Guys Metal Reviews
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