With over two decades’ worth of making hypnotic, powerful and thought provoking music, Berlin’s The Ocean are a unique band with a ceaseless creativity. Blending a plethora of styles across the metal and electronic genres, the band have gained a formidable reputation throughout the world of rock, metal and hardcore. Ever since their seminal 2007 album Precambrian, The Ocean have released a series of albums inspired by Earth’s geological time scale. With music that is defined by a distinct maturity and a deep thoughtfulness, the band look deep into the human psyche and explore a vast array of complex and powerful themes. After a six month world tour the band return with their latest musical journey through the ecological stages of the world, with Holocene.
Holocene takes the band into the human age, a world so transformed and significantly impacted by our dirty and bloody hands that the future continues to remain uncertain. Unlike the Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic and Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic / Cenozoic double album, The Ocean have chosen a different course with this album. Holocene is intimately captivating and synth driven, built on the mesmerising synth wizardry of Peter Voightmann, the Berlin sextet have reined in some of the distortion in favour for luscious and layered atmospherics. Despite this they have dug deeper into their musical DNA and brought forward references from their earlier work that older fans will certainly notice. With this in mind, the heaviness of the album doesn’t truly kick in until after ‘Atlantic’. By holding back on the massive riffs and keeping the vocals clean, Holocene has twice the impact of any previous The Ocean album, in turn creating a decidedly frenetic and exciting atmosphere.
With the slow build of synth and brass, you’re lured into a false sense of security. As the waves of sensuous post rock and atmospheric prog wash over you, you’re swept up by its entrancing undercurrents with Loïc Rossetti’s unique vocal melodies keeping you afloat. The album itself is eclectic, with a significant Massive Attack influence. Citing the band’s innovative 1998 album Mezzanine as one of the best produced albums to date, Robin Staps (guitar, programming, backing vocals), David Ramis Åhfeldt (guitar) and Voightmann have built the album around intricate, reverb soaked guitar elements and sumptuous synths. Alongside the tight rhythm section of Mattias Hägerstrand (bass) and Paul Seidel (drums), Holocene is able to manipulate the dark, trip hop vibe and morph it into emotionally moving, thought provoking progressive metal. Songs such as ‘Parabiosis’, ‘Boreal’ and ‘Subboreal’ all contain a stark intensity that grips you, it commands respect as you listen to the band’s lyrics and the discussions that they raise about the state of modern society, which is an observation that is potently unnerving.
In an album that has many stand out, awe inspiring moments, one song that is particularly powerful is ‘Unconformities’. Featuring the beautifully dramatic and unique voice of Norwegian singer Karin Park, the song has an apocalyptic vibe. With her vocals intertwined with the building brass section and power of The Ocean’s progressive metal, it is a mix so perfectly suited you are left breathless with its beauty. This vibe transcends Holocene, as The Ocean have once again loaded the album with deep concepts that dwell in the depths of our collective, modern day contemplations. Alongside this, Voightmann’s accompanying synth solo album offers an incredible, deep insight into his creative mind, as well as offering a new perspective on Holocene, which demonstrates the considerable compositional depth of the album.
Holocene feels like a defining work The Ocean, its newer direction has allowed the band to expand its horizons with beautiful results. With all things considered, Holocene stays with you long after it’s finished, a stunning album and one that will stand out in their illustrious discography.