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Ocean and The Ocean…

Ocean - Here Where Nothing GrowsOcean originally sent me their two-song demo around autumn of 2005 (though the demo was dated 2004) and I was way impressed. I was in the middle of making the decision to stop writing full-length reviews at the time, so unfortunately I never got around to covering it on the old version of the site, and then when I went to write it up here in the blog, I learned that the band already had a brand new full-length out! So I figured I'd wait and cover that instead, but in typical fashion it took me a good couple of months to get around to buying the disc, and then I sat on it for a few more weeks... so here we are.

"Here Where Nothing Grows" is Ocean's debut full-length on Important Records. Be not misled by the fact that there are only three songs, however, as the shortest track runs just shy of 20 minutes, and the total running time tops an hour without even flinching. This is seriously some of the best oppressively bleak doom I've heard in ages, and as you'll hear in the eight-minute clip below there are a number of lengthy instrumental passages driving the bulk of the material. While the pacing is almost exclusively slower than dirt and the approach is certainly one of a rather stripped down and organic nature, there's actually a good breadth of riffing styles employed, from your usual dose of grittily churning power chords and bashing percussion to twisted feedback, eerie clean riffs, and subtly melodic dissonant textures. The band originally traveled to record in Chicago but weren't satisfied with the results, so they re-recorded the entire album in Portland, Maine (the band's home state), and I'd say that move paid off, because the fucker sounds great: Everything's warm, load, and clear. The sheer force of the band's material definitely deserves a stronger visual accompaniment in my opinion (the "deluxe" packaging edition had sold out before I ordered, so I'm not sure how it compares, but the visuals on their hand-packaged demo actually looked cooler than this standard version of the full-length), but that's not a big deal. These guys roll like a fuckin' steamroller, and any fan of this particular style should shit themselves over this stuff:

Ocean "Salt" (excerpt)

So, if you like your poundings bone-crunchingly slow and methodically sinister, I highly recommend picking this up. I'm expecting much bigger and better things to come from these guys. I honestly find the prices on this CD to be a little steep anywhere other than direct from the label (who adds a couple bucks for shipping), but their ordering process is a little weird in that you have to email 'em first and then they'll send you a total so you can pay using PayPal or whatever method you choose. So if you're too impatient for that, grab it from StonerRock.com's All That's Heavy store—though at $13.99 (better than the laughably inexcusable $16.98 pricetag at Amazon.com) if they add shipping charges the price would be higher than I'd pay, to be honest. I simply won't pay more than $15 (if that) for a newly released CD within the US. Ordering from the label adds a day or two to the process, but they're reliable folks...

Important Records
All That's Heavy

The Ocean - AeolianLike Ocean, my first exposure to The Ocean (who tend to refer to themselves as The Ocean Collective) came from their original demo back in 2001, though I inexplicably never followed the band afterwards despite enjoying that material quite a bit. Here we are five years later and the German act is about to release their second full-length (their first for Metal Blade), "Aeolian", after another demo and an EP, as well as a couple of split 7"s (one of which with the mighty Burst).

"Aeolian" was actually recorded during one long series of sessions from January—April of 2004 that also yielded the band's debut album, "Fluxion", and on this particular outing the band's core lineup consisted of four musicians and one lead vocalist (they add four more members for live performances, including one for visuals), along with an astounding six additional vocal contributors—including guest appearances from Tomas Hallbom (Breach), Nate Newton (Converge, Doomriders, Old Man Gloom) and Sean Ingram (Coalesce)—truly making sense of the "collective" aspect of the band. While The Ocean bear a literal degree of plodding sludginess and occasionally lengthy songs (running times range from one-and-a-half to nearly 10 minutes) in common with simply Ocean, a close band name and certain atmospheric tendencies are all the two really share, as the Germans tend to run a significantly wider gamut of influences, not to mention far more active tempos. Loose comparisons to the earlier work of contemporaries such as Isis and Cult of Luna wouldn't be uncalled for in some instances, and there are occasional discordant metalcore-ish tendencies (in a good way) reminiscent of some of Hydra Head's late-90's roster as well, though I would not under any circumstances place this band within that musical category. The focus is definitely on powerful rhythmic surges and intense vocal interplay, and I'm into it. Oh, and this one does have a spectacular layout, printed entirely on matte stock with slick looking typefaces, subtle metallic ink, and a consistent overall aesthetic that really fits the music. Good stuff.

The Ocean "Queen of the Food-chain"
The Ocean "Dead Serious & Highly Professional"

This CD isn't out in the US until March, which is odd since I've had it for like a month already, so they must've started promoting this shit pretty damn early. If you like it, keep your eyes peeled around the second week of March and pick it up from your source of choice. I ought to do some backtracking and pick up their prior releases now, as well!

Comments

  1. I don’t know if it was the deluxe version but the cd I got had great packaging. Black matt, unfinshed cardboard digipak with minimal text and design in raised silver. I think i liked the design better then the album. For my money I’d rather just listen to the new Khante and ISIS albums instead of this. Ocean comes of as a combo of those two bands but not as powerful.

    Keep up the good work, I can’t wait to listen to THE Ocean.

    2.3.2006 | By Anonymous

  2. holy shitt THE ocean fucking RULES
    m/

    2.3.2006 | By fuckyeah

  3. These are both good.
    I think I prefer the (German) Ocean (Collective) a bit more as I am just kind of burnt out on all the drone/doom clone stuff going on right now.
    IMO though I would take eihter of these Ocean(s) over Khanate and Isis.
    Really.

    2.3.2006 | By The Corpse Glide

  4. Ocean defintely blows The Ocean Collective out of the water. The ocean sounds like a band really trying to capitilize on the whole messugah thing. Although, their version sounds more like messugah meets Korn or something. Junior high kids should dig it. Ocean is so much more artful and heavy…They are really doing their own thing here by taking drone rock to an emotive extreme it’s never really been to.

    2.5.2006 | By Anonymous

  5. Queen of the Food-chain rules

    2.5.2006 | By Anonymous

  6. I like what I hear on both of these bands A LOT.

    2.21.2006 | By Anonymous

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