ALBUM REVIEW: The Sun and the Cold – Oceans

A new year, a new decade and with it comes yet another batch of bands making their first forays into the world with debut albums. One such outfit is OCEANS, hailing from a combination of Vienna and Berlin, although it’s fair to say that their own rise to notoriety will not reflect the majority. After five years of creating music – and barely two after they decided on their name – the band were snapped up by Nuclear Blast and had their first EP Into the Void out in March last year. A covers EP followed in the summer and now, this Friday, their first full-length record The Sun and the Cold drops via the same label.

Anyone that sees themselves releasing material on such a big label so early on must be doing something right, and OCEANS are no slouches. Combining death metal with post-rock and a generous dash of 90’s nu metal elements for good measure, they have created a sprawling opus of both grace and grit, able to take you along with an ambient tide as easily as catching you in a riff-laden whirlpool. It’s not uncommon to dip between the two either, as the opening title track shows, from furious guitar work to a more progressive tone similar to the last album from LEPROUS and back again.

This isn’t the blueprint for every song though; such is OCEANS’ musicianship, they are just as comfortable on either end of their own spectrum as they are in the middle. Take the aptly-named Dark, for example; the more extreme template and blast beats show exactly what the band can do when they plant their flag firmly into the death metal camp. By contrast, the post rock-heavy Polaris is far softer and piano-led with ethereal overtones, but no less effective in the context of the album. The last box to tick is when OCEANS mix things together and they do so with Shadows, a balanced and well-layered tune that does plenty to round off the band’s range and scope with varying genres. However, regardless of what direction the songs take, the overarching feeling of melancholy and bleakness remains constant and bittersweet, offering fleeting glimmers of hope and no more.

There also needs to be a special mention to vocalist Timo Rotten, who manages to give the impression that OCEANS have two separate singers for cleans and growls. Whether it’s the tender notes hit during Legions Arise or the guttural growls he exudes during Take the Crown, he pulls it all off with aplomb and this will prove a very effective weapon as the band continues, particularly on their upcoming European tour opening for EQUILIBRIUM.

Regardless of where you fall in terms of your personal tastes, whether you want something gnarly or gentle, heavy or heavenly, OCEANS have you covered with a dense, colourful album that will take a good number of spins to make its secrets known. The last few years have seen a huge rise in the number of top quality releases from the world of rock, metal and alternative; 2020 is heading in that direction as well.

Rating: 8/10

The Sun and the Cold is set for release on January 10th via Nuclear Blast Records.

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