By: Anders

Posted: Mar 18, 2006

With a band name like The Ocean and an album titled "Aeolian", the sounds that emerged from my speakers, wasn't quite what my prejudiced mind had predicted. I had expected some weird and atmospheric metal, not too brutal and extreme, to be honest. Though what I got was a fist in the face, with the band's slightly chaotic grindcore sound, immense technique, many breaks and screaming vocals. The band does incorporate a lot of atmosphere into the music as well, and that is actually quite nice. It is good to hear a band that includes all from good melodies, to heavy as fuck bass-lines, brutal riffing, wicked breaks, powerhouse drumming, with some breakbeat tendencies here and there though. And some good and brutal screams, which fit the music really good.

The band consists of 7 core-members and in some situations quite more, as the band is built as a collective of creative minds, who are trying to make the experience of the band complete. So it should be a real treat to see the band perform live on stage, with all their gimmicks. Though their music does also work really well on disc, as the song writing is high class, and transforms the ideas and emotions greatly from the tapes into the living rooms of the listeners. The hooks are all over the place and keeps ones attention in awe, there are always happening something, even the simple heavy parts, are mesmerizing and worthy of attention. The musicians are also great technicians and do really know how to handle their instruments and push them to the limit, though seldom over the limit, a joy for us listeners. The production of the album is great as well, heavy, though allows all the instruments and details their space, and it all sounds good. The drums are pretty organic, the bass heavy and rumbling, the guitars shifting from heavy, to a more metallic and industrial-like sound at times, really good, and the vocals have a nice, not too dominant place in the mix, a good detail.

This is one of the bands that will take on the future of metal, and will within a couple of albums take the throne! Their blend of known elements and adding their atmospheric and organic elements, are amazing and very impressive, the song writing skills of the band are enormous as well, and they deliver the goods, no doubt about that. The whole of "Aeolian" flows like a perfect dream, the red thread is always present, and as such, the whole album could be looked at as one song, with different moments, really good work from the Germans and I’ve been enjoyed reviewing the album a lot, and when you pick it up and have given it the time to settle, you’ll be breath-taken by The Ocean as well!

Rating: 9/10

The Ocean website

Distributed in Denmark and kindly supplied by Target

The Ocean interview

Buy the album at

Buy merchandise at

Print