THE OCEAN

THE OCEAN
PRECAMBRIAN (2007)
320 KBPS

Possibly one of the most ambitious releases of 2007, Germany's progressive hardcore collective The Ocean give us Precambrian, a sprawling two-disc collection that is as forward-thinking as it is devastating. Each title represents a specific geological era, and it is hard to imagine a more fitting concept for music as tectonically heavy yet stunningly fluid.
Disc one, Hadean/Archean, clocks in at twenty-two minutes and is the heavier of the two, taking The Ocean's sound as close to conventional hardcore as it gets. But upon closer inspection, one begins to realize that there is nothing conventional about The Ocean's approach. Rather than incorporating one vocalist, the band creates a multi-headed beast by employing the throat shredding talents of Coalesce's Sean Ingram, Converge's Nate Newton and former Breach frontman Tomas Hallbom, among others. While the syncopated riffage on tracks like "Hadean" and "Mesoarchean" is skull-crushingly heavy, there is an atmospheric post-metal element to the proceedings, making The Ocean sound like the bastard lovechild of Meshuggah and Isis.
From the opening track "Siderian", an instrumental intro consisting of clean guitar, saxaphone and percussion, it is immediately apparent that the hour long second disc, Proterozoic, is an entirely different monster than Hadean/Archean. The next track, "Rhyacian", builds on the musical theme established by "Siderian", slowly adding layer upon layer of vocals, distorted guitars, piano, strings and electronics before finally exploding into full-blown hardcore-tinged post-metal. These two tracks set the template for the course of the disc as the music continues to ebb and flow, adding and subtracting elements and textures in a way that makes tracks like "Calymmian" and "Tonian" seem more like movements comprising a single enormous piece of music rather than individual songs. The entire album is characterized by continuously shifting musical atmospheres wrapped in a pristine production, providing listeners with music as dynamic as the geological upheavals suggested by it's songtitles. The way in which The Ocean is able to balance tension and release throughout Proterozoic is nothing short of remarkable, and the various unorthodox textures (xylophone, saxophone, violin, etc) incorporated in achieving this balance never sound forced or awkward.
On Precambrian, The Ocean finally live up to the promise they've shown throughout their career but couldn't always seem to capitalize on with releases like 2005's Aeolian. Although the double-album's length may seem intimidating to some, those willing to invest the time will be rewarded with one of 2007's most engrossing listens.

Disc 1
Hadean / Archean
1. Hadean
2. Eoarchaean
3. Paleoarchaean
4. Mesoarchaean
5. Neoarchaean

Disc 2
Proterozoic
1. Siderian
2. Rhyacian
3. Orosirian
4. Statherian
5. Calymmian
6. Ectasian
7. Stenian
8. Tonian
9. Cryogenian