Oceano – ‘Revelation’ (Album Review)
Oceano are a brutal band with a thought-provoking and timely message.
Our world is in trouble. This is a fact that has been debated countless times over multiple decades – and yet we continue to slip down the slope. All is not yet lost – but how long do we have left? And what can be done to turn the tide?
Revelation considers the above in devastating fashion. Finger-popping, toe-tapping easy listening muzak this is not. Oceano have already made a name for themselves as tech-death merchants par excellence – and Revelation is not going to detract a single point from their credibility score.
After an endless array of lineup changes, Oceano began diving deep into djent on 2015’s Ascendants. On Revelation – Oceano’s first for Sumerian Records – they continue following that path while also expanding on Ascendants’ original narrative concept. Revelation follows a faceless traveller as he visits a series of alternative timelines while the Ascendants – humanity’s immortal and subtle influencers – think about whether or not to save the Earth.
Appropriately enough, this is heavy stuff.
Revelation is proof that caring about the environment is far from wimpy. This is a fucking apocalyptic album. It sounds like the end of the world. Oceano are not going to go easy on you – and when their riffs, grooves, and atmospherics are pulled off this consistently, you’re unlikely to want them to.
The only personal downside to Revelation is that, like most extreme metal albums, I’ll need to either be in the right mood to listen to it in the future, or return to it in moderation. But in Review Mode, I discovered something to love – a scream, a perfectly structured polyrhythm, a breath-catching break, a soothing layer located under pitch-black tones on the edge of dissolution – on every track.
Revelation is a journey – and if you’re a tech-death/djent fan, I recommend you embark on it ASAP.
87%
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Revelation drops May 19; pre-order it from iTunes here.