ALBUM REVIEW: Oceans of Slumber – Oceans of Slumber
To state that emotion is a staple part of heavy metal would be a huge understatement. It’s the musician’s power and intensity that drives through their instruments and injects into the veins of clamouring fans that feeds their desire to feel a surging response to their art form. It can make you feel accepted, comforted and lifted when you feel you are trapped in your darkest moments. From the opening minutes of Soundtrack To My Last Day, you know full well that this album will take you on a journey through trials and tribulations that OCEANS OF SLUMBER have penned and laid bare for all to hear on their fourth, full-length record.
Coming off the back of arguably one of the albums of the year for 2018, The Banished Heart, the band have taken a good look at themselves to figure out how they can continue this momentum but yet still improve on an already impressive back catalogue. Some lineup changes have been made to keep things fresh but any doubts over their capability to step in are quashed very early. A slight negative noted in the past was their desire to throw a lot of different ideas into a track which didn’t always stick. This time however the tracks feel more cohesive and there has been a lot more thought when it comes to arrangements. Their progressive doom metal sound has, at its core, shades of OPETH and other reputable bands in the genre, but at the forefront, they hold a not so secret weapon in vocalist Cammie Gilbert. Her vocal styles bring a fresh element into the genre and while she could easily be heralded with the likes of Floor Jansen, she has a deeper register that can penetrate the soul and can allow you to feel the depth of the anguish within the lyrics.
Starting with a reasonably mellow near eight-minute long track is a bold move even for the genre, but the band pull it off with poise and grace. It’s a slow build filled with haunting melodies but one of the most interesting aspects is the quick fills from drummer Dobber Beverly, that dance between Cammie’s vocals before the track opens up further to let the effortlessly plucked strings shine before it erupts into a doom section showing off the first appearance of the heavier aspects of the band.
It’s a solid start which leads nicely into album highlight in Pray For Fire. It’s easily the best song on the album and quite possibly the best song they’ve ever written. Every member of the band puts their all into every aspect of the track and you can really feel it through each note. The marriage between the instruments and vocals are perfect as they play off one another with great respect and admiration. The spoken word section in the final third is inspired and Cammie‘s words float effortlessly over the barrage of beats attacking in the distance.
A Return To The Earth Bellow is perhaps the most straight forward track on the album and it’s choice as a single is obvious but it is no less captivating. “On a ledge we danced, now we are falling” sung over the clean guitars will be lodged deep within your brain long after the song has finished and the song boasts a chill-inducing outro that will leave you breathless. The surging prowess of the guitars are spine-tingling and really hit home the grandness of the track. If it’s a heavier track you’re after, then look no further than The Adorned Fathomless Creation which opens with a bang and only lets up for brief periods. The clean vocals shine through the dark clouds of doom scattered throughout the track until they meet in a storm that sees out the track in spectacular fashion. Cammie shows off her phenomenal vocal abilities once again with an almost R&B feel but with a metal twist which comes across superbly.
To The Sea and The Colors of Grace show off their more mellow side with the latter featuring clean vocals from guest Mick Moss from the band Antimatter whose sombre voice is akin to that of Mikael Åkerfeldt and flows with Cammie‘s voice in perfect harmony. The track September sees the second instrumental of the album dazzle with its key’s arrangement and soft strings dance and twirl together in unison and shows the depth of their musicianship and songwriting capabilities. It can be seen as a risk to not have their leading vocalist in a track but with music this beautiful it’s hard to argue at the decision.
Another heavier track, Total Failure Apparatus sees the beginning of the end for the album and provides some late album highlights with the dark sounding guitars swirling throughout and the rapid blast beats hitting you with machine-gun fire accuracy. It also includes some quite unnerving growled vocals that wouldn’t be out of place in a black metal track. It’s hard-hitting and unrelenting. The album ends with a cover of TYPE O NEGATIVE‘s Wolf Moon. While the band have never been one to shy away from covers, this is a particularly interesting one as it’s incredibly difficult to replicate the deep-toned rumble of the late great Peter Steele, but it is pulled off brilliantly in their own style but without losing the essence of the original.
OCEANS OF SLUMBER have created an emotional and dynamic album that is full of passion and intensity that flows with unrelenting power and grace. It’s moments of love, loss and pain will stick with you for a long time after and you can find comfort in the sultry tones and haunting words of an impassioned Cammie Gilbert. The band’s inspired musicianship is etched throughout every note and they have crafted an album of the year contender that will no doubt act as catharsis throughout these trying times.
Rating: 10/10
Oceans of Slumber is set for release on September 4th via Century Media Records.
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