The Ocean - Precambrian

by Simon T Diplock

German collective make their play for best metal album of the year

"For fans of Black Sabbath, Botch, Isis, Nirvana, Mastodon, Metallica, Mogwai and the greatest movie soundtracks too- this is never less than absolutely creative, compelling and captivating stuff."

This is lavish. This is epic. This is immense. And while this is perhaps the last thing you’d expect from a little-known German metal band, Berlin’s The Ocean have actually been promising something like ‘Precambrian’ for a while now.

The band first started making waves back in 2000, really began getting progressive with their hardcore on last year’s ‘Aeolian’, and while recent UK live shows were delivered by a pared-down band setup, they still managed to incorporate confrontational but clever metal, several sets of ravaged vocals and a wall of aggressive noise glitches into the mix. This new album though, is a dark, dramatic, monumental achievement from a band on a mission.

Spread across 14 songs, 80 minutes, and two discs- the destructive ‘Hadean/Archean’ and the more diverse and drawn-out ‘Proerozoic’- the music here ranges from contorted bellows over crushing metal and heavy rock epics to moody chimes, almost-jazz, ambient noise and truly hypnotic atmospheres. Hell, even the liner notes here are impressive; members of Cave In, Converge, Coalesce and the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra all playing under a banner of The Ocean Collective. And while the sound of that many people playing this sort of music for this long should dissolve into a mulch of noise, roars and riffs, ‘Precambrian’ is never less than absolutely creative, compelling and captivating stuff.

That’s not to say there’s anything easy, catchy or upbeat here- a blanket of darkness does descend as ‘Hadean’ begins, unrelenting until the final strains of ‘Cryogenian’. But thanks to the skill, verve and variety of its line-up, ‘Precambrian’ will easily appeal to fans of Botch, Isis, Nirvana, Mastodon, Metallica, Mogwai and the greatest movie soundtracks- all the while forging a sound, style and clear identity of its own.

The Ocean haven’t just completed their mission here then- to make a record for people who see music as more than data, people who still believe an album should be more than the sum of its tracks- they’ve also very properly proven themselves as more than a European concern and a group with all the mystery, muscle, force, strength and beauty of their deep blue namesake.
James Devereux said on November 29th 2007 [report abuse]

Great band, great review

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