Unless you’re a heavy metal enthusiast, you’ve probably never heard of Germany’s “The Ocean Collective”, known simply to fans as The Ocean. Formed in 2001 by guitarist and sole creative force Robin Staps, The Ocean has made a name for itself among the legends of progressive metal, consistently releasing some of the most revolutionary music in the prog metal community, of which their classic “Precambiran” album is a great example.
And now 3 years after their last endeavor, “Anthropocentric”, The Ocean are back with yet another experimental masterpiece, “Pelagial”.
The album is built on the concept of different depth zones of an ocean, depicting a gradual submergence from the surface to the deepest region, with the album’s movements getting progressively darker and more claustrophobic to reflect the diminishing light and increasing pressure. The ocean levels idea also acts as a metaphor for a journey into the human mind.
The band executes this idea perfectly, providing an appropriate atmospheric mood with each track, allowing the listener to effortlessly wallow in the music. This record also contains some of the most memorable songwriting I’ve heard in a while from a progressive metal group, with every melody, from the soothing, meditative piano pieces to the energetic guitar riffs, leaving me astonished and hungry for more.
And now 3 years after their last endeavor, “Anthropocentric”, The Ocean are back with yet another experimental masterpiece, “Pelagial”.
The album is built on the concept of different depth zones of an ocean, depicting a gradual submergence from the surface to the deepest region, with the album’s movements getting progressively darker and more claustrophobic to reflect the diminishing light and increasing pressure. The ocean levels idea also acts as a metaphor for a journey into the human mind.
The band executes this idea perfectly, providing an appropriate atmospheric mood with each track, allowing the listener to effortlessly wallow in the music. This record also contains some of the most memorable songwriting I’ve heard in a while from a progressive metal group, with every melody, from the soothing, meditative piano pieces to the energetic guitar riffs, leaving me astonished and hungry for more.