Album Review: The Ocean – Holocene (Pelagic Records)

Right off the back of a 6 month world tour, the Berlin-based atmospheric post metal juggernaut The Ocean (Collective) returns with the follow-up to their critically acclaimed Phanerozoic double album. Released on 19th May (Pelagic Records), Holocene sees The Ocean add a closing chapter to their palaeontology inspired album series.

Expect the unexpected with The Ocean and once again, they prove to be one of the most inimitable bands on the planet. Ending their palaeontology inspired album series with arguably their most unique and potentially polarising release yet.

The previous album ‘Phanerozoic II’ ended with a track titled ‘Holocene’ and it was an early indicator of the direction The Ocean was going in on this new album. That track was heavy on synth and that is the case here also with opener Preboreal. Albeit the former was darker, and this is first track is more mellow. As it develops, The Ocean’s confidence seems to increase, and the track begins to swell with melody and riffy vigour.

Open your mind and let the waves of The Ocean wash over you. With Boreal, the enigmatic group build tension and unleash it in a punchy bout of heavier instrumentation. The vocals are immense here but that goes for the entire album. Perhaps nowhere stronger than with the following Sea of Reeds though. A track that has an overall haunting ambience to it and gets more and more full-bodied sounding as it goes on.

The middle track, Atlantic, might be the best example of how polarising this album is though. Once again, extremely melodic, but drawn out here. The soft patter and light vocals are nice, but some may be hoping for something with a bit more bite at this stage. Happily, the latter part of this effort does find The Ocean with more heavy vitality and that bleeds into Subboreal too. Be prepared for The Ocean getting quite manic with the closing segment of the latter track.

Ultimately, this is an album about non-conformity as The Ocean have their story to tell and in their own, uniquely memorable way. As stated at the start, expect the unexpected. Which makes the monumental Unconformities an aptly titled track. Arguably and stubbornly the best example of Holocene’s eclectic choice of sonic palettes.

It’s an exhaustive trawl through the creative minds of The Ocean, one that is vastly satisfying provided you can keep an open mind throughout. You’ll need to as Parabiosis and Subatlantic push and pull in melodic, synth-driven, riff-focused, and vocally emphatic ways.

The Ocean – Holocene Track Listing:

1. Preboreal
2. Boreal
3. Sea Of Reeds
4. Atlantic
5. Subboreal
6. Unconformities
7. Parabiosis
8. Subatlantic

Links

Spotify | Website | Facebook | Instagram