Ocean – Holocene CD

The Ocean – Holocene

Right off the back of a 6 months world tour, the Berlin-based atmospheric and progressive (post-)rock/metal band The Ocean returns with the follow-up to their critically acclaimed “Phanerozoic” double album (2020). “Holocene” sees The Ocean add a closing chapter to their palaeontology-inspired album series, presenting a gear shift towards the electronic world while redefining heaviness at the same time. Founded at the dawn of the millennium, the group of musicians helmed by guitarist Robin Staps shows no sign of slowing down even with over 20 years under their belt. Coming together around a shared vision of limitless sonic exploration and unrelenting heaviness, they gained a formidable reputation within the (post-)rock & metal scenes. Now it’s time for the “Holocene”-era; the latest and thus-far shortest epoch on the geological time scale in which humanity appeared on the planet. Through rapid proliferation and technological progress, our species has shaped and changed our planet in ways unprecedented in history. Moving into the human age, The Ocean have become more intimate and captivating musically, while creeping deeper into their own DNA with numerous references to their earlier discography which older fans will cherish. Listening to the album “Holocene” brings back familiar feelings: that wide open spaciousness and those dark subdued delay-soaked melodies lingering underneath the aquatic surface, but there is also a new emphasis here: the distortion on the guitars is turned down in favour of radiant synths and horns in every song, and Rossetti's charismatic vocals remain mostly clean. The result is an eclectic album showcasing a palette of sounds that is wider than ever in the history of The Ocean; an album that hails the mighty riff, the Reznor-style bit-crushed vocal extravaganza and dark synth-driven tracks, as much as it bows to creepy/indie Radiohead and early 2000's trip hop (Portishead, Massive Attack). All these influences are quite obvious and make more sense than you would have ever guessed within the context of this band, as the band remains still heavy as fuck!

Tracklist:
1 Preboreal 5:05
2 Boreal 3:41
3 Sea Of Reeds 5:49
4 Atlantic 8:50
5 Subboreal 4:46
6 Unconformities 9:10
7 Parabiosis 8:13
8 Subatlantic 6:56

Label: Pelagic Records 
Released: 2023