Merchants Of Air
  • Home
  • Reviews
    • Albums
    • Concerts
  • Interviews

The Ocean – Pelagial, Or how much do you like concept albums 

13/6/2016

Comments

 
Picture
Picture
Merchants Of Air & Analoch Games present: THE METAL DECK, a moshpit of cardgames. Order now on http://www.analochgames.com/
The Ocean is a progressive metal German collective, active since 2000, well-known for its constantly revolving cast of musicians, and unusual concept albums. With a somewhat daring, creative and audacious proposal of merging  avant-garde elements with inconspicuous metal traits and progressive rock outlines, all intertwined in a horizon of a very aggressive, but well restrained alternatively dark component, and a vigorous inclination for almost scientific lyrics, dark-toned in a perfectly described oceanographic layout, The Ocean has yet to give us another album capable of matching Pelagial, their latest.   

The 2013 Pelagial album, their sixth studio effort, is an outstanding, completely out of the ordinary work, with very heavy and aggressive beats, yet amazing melodies, proving once more that they can do an excellent mixture of the traditional with refreshing new elements. A concept album, the tracks are all named for the different layers of the ocean depths, like if you’re descending deeper and deeper into the ocean’s dark abysmal plains, further and further on each track, with the music accompanying this lower descent, becoming progressively darker and claustrophobically tense. According to some band members, this descent into the darkness of the ocean serves also as a metaphor for the human psychological condition as well, since it explores the most afflictive side of the human mind. 

The ones familiar with the work of the band will not be disappointed. Pelagial is The Ocean at their best form, and this is no surprise, since Germany long has a tradition for giving us some of the best metal bands in the world. Their unbound, unrestrained and unlimited creative layout, while preserving in the surface of their music the most common traits of metal music, underlines in the core of their work the most beautiful, calm and proficient harmonies, and the whole concept fits perfectly with the tone of the music in each track, giving, in the end, the impression that you heard only one evolving music, one progressive orchestral masterpiece, that evolves gradually from a very dark starting point. All set, arranged and perfectly executed in the deeper layers of The Ocean zone.   

While Pelagial was initially planned as a purely instrumental album, vocals were added later. Nevertheless, both versions are available. So, pick up yours, and enjoy the journey into the deepest darkness of The Ocean. Or you can dare listening to both versions, and decide for yourself which one fits better your taste. For my turn, this amazing work of art has definitely conquered, with all rights and merits, its place in progressive metal history.      


​Wagner
Comments
    subscribe to our newsletter

    Archives

    April 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    December 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015

    Categories

    All
    2015
    2016
    Belgium
    Best Of
    Biography
    Christmas
    Concert
    Contemporary
    Critique
    Desertfest
    Electronic
    Famous Bands
    Fanboying
    Festivals
    Halloween
    Lists
    Merchants Of Air
    Metal
    Pop Music
    Rants
    Rik's Rarities
    Rock
    Songs With Stories
    The Metal Deck
    What's In A Bandname

    RSS Feed

Find us on

facebook
google+
twitter
tumblr
​
minds

About Us

Contact
FAQ
Logos and banners
© COPYRIGHT 2015. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.