The Ocean hasn’t given up.
Despite major changes to the lineup, the German band hasn’t lost heart. With the support of Pelagic Records, the project now led by Robin Staps (guitar/vocals), Mattias Hägerstrand (bass), Jordi Farré (drums), Enrico Tiberi (vocals/keyboards), Lane Shi (vocals), Emmanuel Jessua (guitar), and Marco Gennaro (guitar), unveils its brand-new album, Solaris.
The musicians also enlisted Thorsten Quaeschning (synthesizers, Tangerine Dream), Orestis Zafiriou (keyboards), Simen Eifring (trombone), and Jiawei Zhang (vibraphone).
It’s no coincidence that the album opens with 52°30’11“N, 13°26’12”E, for while this is the name of the first track, which is quite minimalist and ethereal, it also represents the GPS coordinates of their label’s offices, Pelagic Records. A few vocal parts eventually accompany a soft, melodious guitar, then the collective moves on to Departure Song, which gradually incorporates more instruments, growing in intensity and strangeness until it finally becomes a multifaceted wave of heaviness that allows each instrument to assert its own character. Unsurprisingly, the mix remains extremely cohesive, and the intertwining of voices becomes almost hypnotic, so perfectly executed is it from start to finish; but it is ultimately the silence that leads us to Light Pollution and its unsettling tones, which eventually transform into an intoxicating softness over which the vocalists let loose. Their calm, steady flow is occasionally punctuated by more intense bursts, even featuring screams, or conversely by hazier, Post-Metal-inspired passages that send Lane into a trance before Simulacra brings her back to a much gentler approach on this long, very long track. Throughout these eighteen minutes, the musicians clearly set no limits for themselves, treating listeners to haunting passages, energetic bursts, intricate solos, and diverse vocals and the whole thing picks up steam anew every time you think it’s over, constantly developing new elements until it finally gives way to Belligerence, which kicks off with great aggression. The Sludge roots resurface with a vengeance, giving the track an incredibly abrasive sound as the vocalists struggle to keep up with this frenzied madness, yet manage to contain it for a while only to let it take the reins again for the finale, unlike Ultima Esperanza, which also lets its keyboards offer up unsettling tones. The track could easily be considered the perfect example of Progressive Metal, given how much it varies from one section to the next, allowing the musicians to showcase their talents in both intense and calm moments as the vocalists call and respond to one another; but Milk Of My Dreams ultimately takes over after another keyboard interlude, continuing in this heavy atmosphere. A few noise-inspired elements are added from time to time to the ritual, which moves inexorably toward the final track, 51°28’30“ S, 73°6’11” W, which represents the GPS coordinates of the Última Esperanza Cape in southern Chile already referenced earlier in the album, and whose symbolism is unique, building on the sound of the previous track and closing out the album with Industrial roots.
The Ocean manages to harness the diversity of Progressive Metal while making it fascinating at times, thanks to its striking contrasts. The gentleness of Solaris is matched only by its aggression, and I even found myself appreciating certain passages of it.
75/100
