Review: Ox:En’s The Bitter Suite

Ox:En
The Bitter Suite
Independent

Perth oddballs Ox:En aren’t here to play by the rules. Their new EP, The Bitter Suite, is a chaotic, experimental buffet where industrial grind meets prog indulgence, punk irreverence, and the occasional Mike Patton fever dream. It’s heavy, it’s weird, and most importantly, it doesn’t take itself too seriously.

The opener, We Called It Sin, builds anticipation with jagged stabs before finally dropping into a riff thick enough to start a mosh in the middle of the listener’s office cubicle. Cam McDougall’s psychedelic clean vocals drift above Martin Murphy’s soaring guitars before McDougall’s scream slices the air and closes the track in explosive fashion.

Half-Arsed Harry (Kiri) pushes the envelope further, blending sharp top-string riffing with Matt Revill’s furious drumming and McDougall’s unhinged screams. Imagine Fantômas colliding with System of a Down while Pete Steele croons from the afterlife. The chaos gives way to Mike Williams’ slippery bass solo, a cheeky outro that cements Ox:En’s taste for the unexpected. Did someone say Mr Bungle?

Then comes I Cuck On The First Date, a song title guaranteed to make the listener laugh before they’ve even hit play. The music is just as outrageous, as Murphy’s Faith No More-styled riffs collide with McDougall’s lyrical tirade that veers between self-deprecation and absurdity. “That’s me in the corner, that’s me with a ‘fleshlight.’ Growing my erection, perfection. While I’ve never been a looker, I’ve always been a watcher!” The track ends a little prematurely, but maybe that’s the point!

Behemoth veers into satirical territory, telling the tale of a morally bankrupt but church-going American, carried by a mesh of eclectic vocals and flashy guitar layers. Know You Know changes pace with lo-fi drums, earworm clean vocals, and an unexpected piano outro that softens the edges of the chaos.

Closer Chameleon is the strangest trip of all, opening like a 15-year-old’s YouTube Poop project before spinning into ASMR-inducing spoken word, horror-tinged hyperpop textures, and relentless toms from Revill. The guitars and sound design swell before snapping shut with tight snare hits, wrapping the EP in suitably bizarre style.

The Bitter Suite is not for everyone, but that’s exactly the point. Ox:En thrive in the space between parody and precision, chaos and craft. It’s an EP that will leave you laughing, wincing, and headbanging, sometimes all at once.

ANDY JONES