• Luc Hess: Drums

• Robin Staps: Guitar

• Jonathan Nido: Guitar

• Louis Jucker: Bass

• Loic Rossetti: Vocals

• Julien Fehlmann: Sound
• Band Homepage
• Band Myspace Page
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THE OCEAN
"Heliocentric"
RELEASED: 04.13.2010
THE OCEAN reveal track listing and details on "Anthropocentric"
European tour dates with The Dillinger Escape Plan, Cancer Bats

The Ocean are currently in the process of mixing their upcoming album Anthropocentric at Studio Mecanique in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, the same place where Heliocentric was recorded and mixed. The album will be mastered on August 25th by Svante Forsbδck in Helsinki.

Musically, the album feels somehow heavier than Heliocentric. "The sound is more dense and maybe a tad more raw, which suits the songs perfectly", comments guitar player Jonathan Nido. The album covers a similar sonic and dynamic range as Heliocentric, also including a number of calm, acoustic moments – but these are for the most part orchestrated with guitars, and not so much with piano and string section. The focus is on the heavy songs: "The album is a pretty big production, and still has a very earthy, organic feel to it", comments Staps. "We have spent a great deal of time on the basic sound this time around, drums, bass, guitars and vocals… and at this stage I am pretty confident that this will pay off in the end!"

As far as the concepts behind Anthropocentric are concerned, the focus is on man and his place in the universe: at the center, as many fundamental Christians still claim today, or more likely a dust particle in its periphery? All lyrics are circling around this question. "Anthropocentric will continue the critique of christianity, inspired by the questions that Dostoyevsky asked and some of the answers that Friedrich Nietzsche and Richard Dawkins gave", comments Staps.

At the base of the album are three songs with the titles "The Grand Inquisitor I, II and III". These songs have been inspired by the chapter of the same title in Fjodor Dostoyevsky's novel The Brothers Karamasov: a conversation between the brothers Ivan, an atheist, and Alyoscha, a monk. Ivan tells Alyoscha the story of a Second Coming of Christ in 16th century Sevilla. According to this parable, Jesus is arrested by the Catholic inquisition. The grand inquisitor who interrogates Jesus casts a new light on the legend of the temptation of Christ: he reproaches Jesus with having betrayed humanity and having deprived man of salvation by giving him freedom. The conversation between Ivan and Alyoscha mirrors, to some degree, the conversation between the grand inquisitor and Christ and raises more questions than it answers. "This long dialogue, which for the most part is rather a monologue of Ivan, is so complex and recondite that one could easily find inspiration for 10 concept albums about Christianity in it", comments Staps.

Only 6 guest musicians are appearing on the album, all classical musicians, most of whom are guesting on the final track of the album. Anthropocentric is an album by The Ocean's consolidated nucleus. "It is the first album where all members have actively partaken in the songwriting", comments Staps.

The track listing for Anthropocentric is as follows:
1. Anthropocentric
2. The Grand Inquisitor I: Karamazov baseness
3. She Was The Universe
4. For He That Wavereth…
5. The Grand Inquisitor II: Roots & Locusts
6. The Grand Inquisitor III: A Tiny Grain of Faith
7. Sewers Of The Soul
8. Wille Zum Untergang
9. Heaven TV
10. The Almightiness Contradiction
11. The Grand Inquisitor IV: Exclusion From Redemption

The last track is a bonus track which will only appear on the vinyl and the limited European deluxe digipak version.

THE OCEAN to tour with Dillinger Escape Plan and Cancer Bats through Europe!
THE OCEAN will join Dillinger Escape Plan for their upcoming full European tour, which kicks off in Paris on October 1st, 2010, and is ending with an appearance at the DAMNATION FESTIVAL 2010 at Leeds University on November 6, 2010.

THE OCEAN guitarist Robin Staps comments: "We are very excited about this tour and honoured to support one of the most exciting and daring bands in heavy music on their upcoming full European tour!"

THE OCEAN
Tour w/ The Dillinger Escape Plan and Cancer Bats

01/10/10 – FR – Paris – Le Trabendo
02/10/10 – NL – Amsterdam – Melkweg Max
03/10/10 – BE – Brussels – VK
04/10/10 – DE – Frankfurt – Batschkapp
05/10/10 – DE – Leipzig – Conne Island
06/10/10 – DE – Hamburg – Markthalle
07/10/10 – DE – Bochum – Matrix
08/10/10 – DE – Berlin – Columbia Club
09/10/10 – PL – Warsaw – Progresja
10/10/10 – CZ – Prague – Abaton
12/10/10 – AT – Wien – Szene
13/10/10 – HU – Budapest – Dόrer-Kert
14/10/10 – SK – Bratislava – Randal
15/10/10 – IT – Roncade – New Age
16/10/10 – IT – Cesena – Vidia Club
17/10/10 – FR – Marseille – Escape Julien
19/10/10 – ES – Bilbao – Kafι Antzokia
20/10/10 – ES – Madrid – Sala Heineken
21/10/10 – ES – Barcelona – Razzmatazz 2
22/10/10 – FR – Bordeaux – Rock School Barby
23/10/10 – FR – Nantes – L'Olympic
24/10/10 – FR – Poitiers – Confort Moderne
26/10/10 – FR – Lille – Aeronef
27/10/10 – UK – Southampton – Uni Garden Court
28/10/10 – UK – Birmingham – Academy 2
29/10/10 – UK – Glasgow – Garage
30/10/10 – UK – Manchester – Club Academy
01/11/10 – UK – Nottingham – Rescue Rooms
02/11/10 – UK – Bristol – Academy
03/11/10 – UK – Norwich – Waterfront
04/11/10 – UK – Brighton – Concorde 2
05/11/10 – UK – London – Electric Ballroom
06/11/10 – UK – Leeds – Damnation Festival
End Tour
Tour w/ Humanfly

07/11/10 – UK – Newport - Le Pub
08/11/10 – UK – Leicester - Firebug
09/11/10 – UK – Stoke - Sugarmill
10/11/10 – UK – Dundee - Fat Sam's

THE OCEAN will release their new album Anthropocentric in November of 2010! It's the second part of a concept spread over two albums. The first one named Heliocentric has been released in April of this year.

http://www.theoceancollective.com
http://www.myspace.com/theoceancollective




The Ocean post update on European tour dates and more
This just in from Robin Staps:

4 DATES OF IBERIAN TOUR CANCELLED / MAREIRA FEST REMAINS CONFIRMED

Unfortunately, 4 dates of our Iberian tour have been cancelled. First, Caos Emergente Festival in Portugal was cancelled in its entirety by the organization due to a lack of financial support from the government. The official statement can be read here: http://www.caosemergente.gorefilia.com/

Next and apart from this, the Madrid show was organized by a scam artist (Javi from Freak Producciones) who despite numerous approaches never sent back a signed contract, and now decided to cancel the show, without any further notice, just 1 week before the gig and after our flights had long been booked. After this, the Bilbao promoter cancelled the show as well and with this situation it doesn't make sense for us to do Barcelona either.

We are very sorry for this mess and would like to apologize to our Spanish fans. Unfortunately touring the Iberian Peninsula can be more difficult than touring Mongolia.

We will be hanging out in Madrid for 3 days with friends, anyone who wants to go party with us or put on a last minute secret show, please email us at info@theoceancollective.com

That said, we will still play an exclusive gig at Mareira Fest in Foz in Galicia, on July 17th. Another club show at Porto Rio in Porto is in the making for July 16th or 18th! Stay tuned.

ANNOUNCE NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
The Ocean will be touring the US and Canada between November 6th and December 5fth 2010. More details on the tour will be revealed soon, stay tuned.

ANNOUNCE AREA 4 FESTIVAL
The Ocean will play Area 4 Festival on Saturday, August 21st. Other bands confirmed include Placebo, Queens of the Stone Age and the mighty Thrice. More infos at http://www.area4.de/

OTHER FESTIVALS
17.07.2010 Mareira Festival, Foz, Galicia, Spain
22.07.2010 Sikelian Hell Festival, Sicily, Italy
30.07.2010 Zvera Festival - Saldus, Latvia
14.08.2010 Musica W Festival - Castellina Marittima, Italy (near Pisa)
21.08.2010 Area 4 Festival - Lόdinghausen, Germany

'HELIOCENTRIC' VINYL BOX ORDERS
We have been waiting to get restock from the pressing plant for a long time now, so many orders were delayed. The shipment is expected today and all orders will go out ASAP now.

NEW EXCLUSIVE MERCH
There are 2 new exclusive T-shirt designs by Seldon Hunt available at the online shops of Omerch and Relapse. Please check out the following links:

http://www.bandstores.co.uk/shop/theocean/products.php?cat=1378
http://shop.relapse.com/store/product.aspx?ProductID=38131

More new shirt designs are available at our webstore:
http:/www.pelagic-records.com/shop

http://www.myspace.com/theoceancollective




THE OCEAN's Robin Staps posts video comments for each song on "Heliocentric"
Heliocentric, the highly anticipated and incredibly daring new album from The Ocean is available now in stores, on iTunes, Amazon.com and every other digital and physical music retailer. To celebrate the album's release, The Ocean's Robin Staps has filmed short video clips that describe in detail the lyrical and musical concepts behind each song on Heliocentric. Those clips are live now on The Ocean and Metal Blade youtube channels, as well as on metalblade.tv.

Heliocentric track listing andSong comment videos by Robin Staps (click the song title for the video):
1. Shamayim (instrumental)
2. Firmament
3. The First Commandment of the Luminaries
4. Ptolemy Was Wrong
5. Metaphysics of the Hangman
6. Catharsis of a Heretic
7. Swallowed by the Earth
8. Epiphany
9. The Origin of Species
10. The Origin of God

All of the videos can be seen on MetalBlade.tv.

Heliocentric can be previewed via 30 second instrumental clips, available now on theoceancollective.com/heliocentric.

The songs, art and lyrics of Heliocentric tell the story of the rise of the heliocentric world view - the idea that the earth revolves around the sun, and that the sun is stationary and at the center of the universe. Copernicus and Gallilei were the first popular ambassadors of this idea, although ancient greek astronomers like Aristarchus had already posited this theory centuries before.

The effects that this discovery had on Christian belief and occidental culture are at the base of The Ocean's "Heliocentric" album. Throughout the course of the album, the lyrics are orbiting around an astronomic and a philosophical/religious subject, whilst always keeping an essentially personal perspective.

Fans can now order Heliocentric as just the CD or in a CD/t-shirt package. Go HERE for details and prices. The packaging for Heliocentric is quite amazing, featuring a black digipak with silver foil and black embossed designs as well as tarot cards in place of the traditional CD booklet. There are a total of 9 tarot cards, each with its own artwork on one side and lyrics on the opposite side. A special vinyl box 2x LP edition with revolving sun and planet-dials will be available soon from pelagic-records.com.

Heliocentric has won the 'soundcheck' of Metal Hammer magazine and was awarded 'album of the month' by all editors.

To celebrate this, The Ocean had teamed up with Metal Hammer and Friction Fest for yet another special event. Robin Staps adds: "We will play a showcase gig at the famous White Trash in Berlin on Thursday, April 29th, premiering the Heliocentric material live in Germany. I will DJ for an hour or so after the gig and we will all be hanging out at White Trash, so come say hi and have a drink!"

This event will double as a warm-up gig for Friction Fest the following weekend, where The Ocean will perform a special set with an extended lineup including various classical musicians (May 7th).

What press has said about Heliocentric so far:

"Luxurious, tectonic, ingenious, calculated, charismatic, enterprising, dextrous, inventive, unrestrained, fascinating and poignant. If all this doesn't convince you to at least check them out, then seriously, fuck off." 9/10, Rock Sound Magazine (UK)

"This is the most forward-thinking statement by the Ocean yet, and stands as the most seamlessly integrated and consistent recording they've issued to date." Allmusic.com

"They combine beautiful orchestral music with post-rock that builds, falls and crushes like you wouldn't believe. This is inventive music, and it should be savoured as such." 5/5 Zero Tolerance (UK)

"Initially quite overwhelming, offering more ideas on one album than some bands manage in a lifetime, but their trajectory continues to fascinate and enthral." 8/10, Metal Hammer (UK)

http://www.theoceancollective.com
http://www.myspace.com/theoceancollective
http://www.facebook.com/theoceancollective
http://www.youtube.com/theoceancollective




THE OCEAN Streams "Heliocentric" In Its Entirety on MetalSucks.net
MetalSucks.net, in addition to being one of the premiere destinations on the web for metal-centric commentary and articles, are huge supporters of The Ocean. They're teaming up with Metal Blade Records and The Ocean to exclusively stream Heliocentric in its entirety on Thursday, April 8th through Friday, April 9th. This will be the first chance for fans to hear the songs on Heliocentric and new vocalist Loic Rossetti's sound. Previously, only 30 second instrumental clips were available on theoceancollective.com/heliocentric.

The Ocean is releasing two albums in 2010 - the first being Heliocentric, which streets on April 13th, and the second being Anthropocentric, due out in the fall 2010. The concept at the base of both albums is a critique of Christianity from different philosophical and personal angles.

Heliocentric will come in a lavish and unusual digipak packaging. The album artwork and packaging are reflecting the Heliocentric-theme, the idea that the sun, rather than the earth, is at the center of our planetary system. Robin Staps discusses the packaging: "The European version is a digipak with 3 revolving PVC-dials in different sizes attached to the front side with a screw: the center dial shows the sun. The second dial shows the orbits of the planet, the outer dial shows the zodiacs. The dials are transparent, so you can see the background through, a starry night sky, on which a star-chart is printed in a special color varnish.

The US version doesn't have these dials, the artwork is silver hot foil-stamped instead. Inside the digipak of both versions there will be 8 cards, one for every (non-instrumental) song, with images by Portuguese painter and philosopher Francisco de Hollanda printed on one side and the lyrics on the backside.

While the songs, art and lyrics of Heliocentric tell the story of the rise of the heliocentric world view and its effects on Christian belief from medieval times to Darwin and Dawkins, Anthropocentric challenges the views of creationists and other modern fundamentalists who still believe that the earth is at the center of the universe.

Musically, Heliocentric covers the largest range of dynamics and styles to date: "There are a few really calm songs with mainly piano and vocals, as well as some crushing heavy tunes. There is a very special atmosphere to it that pervades the album", comments guitarist Jonathan Nido.

"Our new vocalist Loic Rossetti has immensely widened the musical spectrum of this band and there are some songs on the album that even those people who have conceived of this band as being unpredictable and daring would have never imagined", adds Robin Staps. "But this is exactly what makes it a 150% The Ocean album".

Heliocentric continues where the Proterozoic half of the Precambrian album left off, with dense, epic songs and big orchestrations. Anthropocentric is going to be a bit more straight forward rocking and technical, whilst tapping the full dynamic range from acoustic pieces to eclectic heaviness as well.

The albums were mainly recorded in the mountainous isolation of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, the highest city of Europe. The band decided to record and mix the album with the band's house sound engineer Julien Fehlmann: "We wanted to be in control of every single detail, and we have an amazing studio at hand here. Sound wise this is by far the best-sounding album we have done to date".

Fans can now pre-order Heliocentric as just the CD or in a CD/t-shirt package. Go HERE for details and prices. The packaging for Heliocentric is quite amazing, featuring a black digipak with silver foil and black embossed designs as well as tarot cards in place of the traditional CD booklet. There are a total of 9 tarot cards, each with its own artwork on one side and lyrics on the opposite side. Heliocentric is out April 13th so make sure to pick up your copy now at the special pre-order price. A special vinyl box 2x LP edition with revolving sun and planet-dials will be available soon from pelagic-records.com.

Heliocentric track listing:
1. Shamayim
2. Firmament
3. The First Commandment of the Luminaries
4. Ptolemy Was Wrong
5. Metaphysics of the Hangman
6. Catharsis of a Heretic
7. Swallowed by the Earth
8. Epiphany
9. The Origin of Species
10. The Origin of God

http://www.theoceancollective.com
http://www.myspace.com/theoceancollective
http://www.facebook.com/theoceancollective
http://www.youtube.com/theoceancollective




THE OCEAN premiere "Swallowed By The Earth" from "Heliocentric" on Full Metal Jackie Radio!
Full Metal Jackie, North America's largest syndicated metal radio show, is premiering a new track from The Ocean's new album, Heliocentric. Jackie will spin the song the weekend of April 2nd, so make sure to tune in to the rock radio station nearest you to listen! Full Metal Jackie airs on over 25 rock radio stations across the US, including: The Hog 102.9 in Milwaukee, WI (Saturdays 10pm-midnight), WNFZ 94.3 the X in Knoxville, TN (Saturdays 10pm-midnight), Rock 94 and a half in Spokane, WA (Saturday 12pm-2pm) and many more. You can find the station nearest you that carries the show as well as the broadcast time on http://www.fullmetaljackieradio.com.

Full Metal Jacki Radio will be in the ONLY place you'll be able to hear the song until the band uploads it to their myspace page at the beginning of next week.

Fans can now pre-order Heliocentric as just the CD or in a CD/t-shirt package. Go HERE for details and prices. The packaging for Heliocentric is quite amazing, featuring a black digipak with silver foil and black embossed designs as well as tarot cards in place of the traditional CD booklet. There are a total of 9 tarot cards, each with its own artwork on one side and lyrics on the opposite side. Heliocentric is out April 13th so make sure to pick up your copy now at the special pre-order price.

Also available on the pre-order page and on MetalBlade.tv is the 1st of 4 'In the Studio' videos; each week leading up to the release of Heliocentric a new video will go live so be sure to keep checking back in.

The lyrics and snippets of every song off Heliocentric can be previewed at: http://www.theoceancollective.com/heliocentric

For those who do not know, The Ocean is releasing two CD's that are tied to one another. The first being Heliocentric out in April and the second being Anthropocentric, due out in the fall 2010.

The concept at the base of both albums is a critique of Christianity from different philosophical and personal angles.

While the songs, art and lyrics of Heliocentric tell the story of the rise of the heliocentric world view and its effects on Christian belief from medieval times to Darwin and Dawkins, "Anthropocentric" challenges the views of creationists and other modern fundamentalists who still believe that the earth is at the center of the universe.

The track listing of Heliocentric is as follows:
1. Shamayim
2. Firmament
3. The First Commandment of the Luminaries
4. Ptolemy Was Wrong
5. Metaphysics of the Hangman
6. Catharsis of a Heretic
7. Swallowed by the Earth
8. Epiphany
9. The Origin of Species
10. The Origin of God

Musically, Heliocentric covers the largest range of dynamics and styles to date: "There are a few really calm songs with mainly piano and vocals, as well as some crushing heavy tunes. There is a very special atmosphere to it that pervades the album", comments guitarist Jonathan Nido.

"Our new vocalist Loic Rossetti has immensely widenened the musical spectrum of this band and there are some songs on the album that even those people who have conceived of this band as being unpredictable and daring would have never imagined", adds Robin Staps. "But this is exactly what makes it a 150% The Ocean album".

Heliocentric continues where the Proterozoic half of the Precambrian album left off, with dense, epic songs and big orchestrations. Anthropocentric is going to be a bit more straight forward rocking and technical, whilst tapping the full dynamic range from acoustic pieces to eclectic heaviness as well.

The albums were mainly recorded in the mountainous isolation of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, the highest city of Europe. The band decided to record and mix the album with the band's house sound engineer Julien Fehlmann: "We wanted to be in control of every single detail, and we have an amazing studio at hand here. Sound wise this is by far the best-sounding album we have done to date".

http://www.theoceancollective.com
http://www.myspace.com/theoceancollective
http://www.facebook.com/theoceancollective
http://www.youtube.com/theoceancollective




THE OCEAN's Heliocentric: Pre-order now available – 1st of 4 'In the Studio' videos now live!
AGOURA HILLS, Calif. - March 26, 2010 - In honor of The Ocean's upcoming opus Heliocentric, Metal Blade Records is offering two pre-order packages. Fans can now pre-order Heliocentric as just the CD or in a CD/t-shirt package. Go HERE for details and prices. The packaging for Heliocentric is quite amazing, featuring a black digipak with silver foil and black embossed designs as well as tarot cards in place of the traditional CD booklet. There are a total of 9 tarot cards, each with its own artwork on one side and lyrics on the opposite side. Heliocentric is out April 13th so make sure to pick up your copy now at the special pre-order price.

Also available on the pre-order page is the 1st of 4 'In the Studio' videos; each week leading up to the release of Heliocentric a new video will go live so be sure to keep checking back in.

The lyrics and snippets of every song off Heliocentric can be previewed at: http://www.theoceancollective.com/heliocentric

For those who do not know, The Ocean is releasing two CD's that are tied to one another. The first being Heliocentric out in April and the second being Anthropocentric, due out in the fall 2010.

The concept at the base of both albums is a critique of Christianity from different philosophical and personal angles.

While the songs, art and lyrics of Heliocentric tell the story of the rise of the heliocentric world view and its effects on Christian belief from medieval times to Darwin and Dawkins, "Anthropocentric" challenges the views of creationists and other modern fundamentalists who still believe that the earth is at the center of the universe.

The track listing of Heliocentric is as follows:
1. Shamayim
2. Firmament
3. The First Commandment of the Luminaries
4. Ptolemy Was Wrong
5. Metaphysics of the Hangman
6. Catharsis of a Heretic
7. Swallowed by the Earth
8. Epiphany
9. The Origin of Specie
10. The Origin of God

Musically, Heliocentric covers the largest range of dynamics and styles to date: "There are a few really calm songs with mainly piano and vocals, as well as some crushing heavy tunes. There is a very special atmosphere to it that pervades the album", comments guitarist Jonathan Nido.

"Our new vocalist Loic Rossetti has immensely widenened the musical spectrum of this band and there are some songs on the album that even those people who have conceived of this band as being unpredictable and daring would have never imagined", adds Robin Staps. "But this is exactly what makes it a 150% The Ocean album".

Heliocentric continues where the Proterozoic half of the Precambrian album left off, with dense, epic songs and big orchestrations. Anthropocentric is going to be a bit more straight forward rocking and technical, whilst tapping the full dynamic range from acoustic pieces to eclectic heaviness as well.

The albums were mainly recorded in the mountainous isolation of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, the highest city of Europe. The band decided to record and mix the album with the band's house sound engineer Julien Fehlmann: "We wanted to be in control of every single detail, and we have an amazing studio at hand here. Sound wise this is by far the best-sounding album we have done to date".

http://www.theoceancollective.com
http://www.myspace.com/theoceancollective
http://www.facebook.com/theoceancollective
http://www.youtube.com/theoceancollective




THE OCEAN announce upcoming album title and track listing, reveal details about upcoming 2 albums
The Ocean’s upcoming albums are going to be entitled Heliocentric and Anthropocentric. They are due for April and October 2010 releases.

The concept at the base of both albums is a critique of Christianity from different philosophical and personal angles.

While the songs, art and lyrics of Heliocentric tell the story of the rise of the heliocentric world view and its effects on Christian belief from medieval times to Darwin and Dawkins, "Anthropocentric" challenges the views of creationists and other modern fundamentalists who still believe that the earth is at the center of the universe.

The tracklisting of Heliocentric is as follows:

1. Shamayim
2. Firmament
3. The First Commandment of the Luminaries
4. Ptolemy Was Wrong
5. Metaphysics of the Hangman
6. Catharsis of a Heretic
7. Swallowed by the Earth
8. Epiphany
9. The Origin of Species
10. The Origin of God

Musically, Heliocentric covers the largest range of dynamics and styles to date: "There are a few really calm songs with mainly piano and vocals, as well as some crushing heavy tunes. There is a very special atmosphere to it that pervades the album", comments guitarist Jonathan Nido.

"Our new vocalist Loic Rossetti has immensely widenened the musical spectrum of this band and there are some songs on the album that even those people who have conceived of this band as being unpredictable and daring would have never imagined", adds Robin Staps. "But this is exactly what makes it a 150% The Ocean album".

Heliocentric" continues where the Proterozoic half of the Precambrian album left off, with dense, epic songs and big orchestrations. Anthropocentric is going to be a bit more straight forward rocking and technical, whilst tapping the full dynamic range from acoustic pieces to eclectic heaviness as well.

The albums were mainly recorded in the mountainous isolation of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, the highest city of Europe. The band decided to record and mix the album with the band's house sound engineer Julien Fehlmann: "We wanted to be in control of every single detail, and we have an amazing studio at hand here. Soundwise this is by far the best-sounding album we have done to date".

The lyrics and snippets of every song of the album can be previewed at:

http://www.theoceancollective.com/heliocentric
http://www.myspace.com/theoceancollective




The Ocean confirm new vocalist, continue work on TWO new albums!
Germany’s The Ocean have issued an update on their vocalist situation and the progress of their follow up to 2007’s epic double-disc master piece, Precambrian.

After many weeks in the dark, The Ocean have finally found a new vocalist. "We are happy to announce Mr. Loοc Rossetti as tour new vocalist. "We are looking forward to weeks and months of intense touring in the future and a new era in the story of our lives!", comments Robin Staps.

"Having Loοc in the band enables me to do what I've always wanted to do with this band. His voice is strong and expressive and his variety of tone and the ease with which he switches between different vocal styles really amazing. There are no limits anymore. His screams are devastating, but his most valuable quality is his singing voice, which we will employ much more on the upcoming album.”

Comments Loοc Rossetti: "Being part of The Ocean is a great honour for me. I can utilize the full spectre of my voice, and the band is pushing me to do so…it's a great challenge."

Over the course of the past 6 months, the band has received more than 150 applications from people from all over the world. "Many have recorded vocals for 'The City in the Sea' and there was a lot of good stuff coming in. Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to try out, we truly appreciate it!", comments Jonathan Nido.

The addition of Rossetti marks the final step in a recent development within the band: after 8 years of existence, The Ocean has recently been transforming from a collective into a band. This doesn't mean that there will not be changes of line-up ever again: "I have been playing music long enough to know that people are usually in this for a limited time", comments Staps, "but the people I am working with now are the people I have always been looking for, and naturally, everyone else is much more involved than ever before."

The collective is not dead. As a matter of fact, the upcoming album will feature the largest number of additional musicians to date, mainly classical players. The band has spent the better part of the year working feverishly on their upcoming two albums which are due for March and September 2010 releases. More news will follow soon.

“Full of cinematic breadth and orchestral majesty…rhythmic sea changes and powerful riffing.” Revolver Magazine

“ambitious, stirring, and musically stunning. Prepare to be swept away.” Outburn Magazine

“Sounding more epic than a Ridley Scott flick…larger than life, incorporating loads of guitar, strings, percussion…as emotionally draining as any heavy-hitting drama.” TheIndiePit.com

“The Ocean are like High On Fire, Baroness, Om, Wolves In The Throne Room and other bands who have started making heavy music for adults. This isn’t bursts of hatred fired randomly nor is it clichιd imagery tossed about for shock value.” CraveOnline.com

http://www.theoceancollective.com
http://www.myspace.com/theoceancollective




THE OCEAN in search of new singer!
”Being in a band is the constant struggle to reach the one, the final, the ultimate line-up. The right people, the right musicians. The line-up that clicks, where the music that is created on stage is somehow greater than the sum of each individual's output. Once a band has reached that line-up, it is flirting with divinity, it has the chance to be larger than life, to touch majesty.

Any lineup is usually a very fragile constellation, and essentially a ticking time-bomb. 5 passionate people's egos, their respective ideas, preferences, defects, habits, characters, the insecurities of their lives, all these are dangerous threats to the existence and future of a band. Struggle is an integral part of any band's existence. As my friend Mitch pointed out recently, Van Halen were only a decent band with David Lee Roth in the band, but everybody hated him. There are countless examples.

It felt like we were close to that ultimate line-up. Very close. The people I have been playing with over the past year and a half are not only amazing musicians, but also amazing people. THE OCEAN has consolidated into a band over the past 2 years. I am no longer alone, and still, to some degree, THE OCEAN will always remain a collective, I guess.

Mike is no longer with us. He's got his reasons, and we understand and respect them. THE OCEAN has played the ridiculous amount of 141 shows in the past 12 months, and travelled an insane 75704 (!!!) of road kilometers between Kiew, Ukraine and Los Angeles, California.

The life we lead isn't made for everyone. Only some of my closest friends understand what life is like when you spend half of the year on the road. There is not much time for girlfriends, friends, family, career or any so-called private life. And yet the upsides make up for it: the chance to see places we would never get to see otherwise, the chance to constantly meet new people, all the countless moments of intensity, passion and craziness. Our tour diaries tell the story, there's a new one coming up here from the previous tour soon.

It is the life we have chosen, for now, the life we embrace, the life we love, most of the time…”
Robin Staps

Here is what Mike has to say:
"So folks after almost 2 years and an obscene amount of drinking, debauchery and awesome shows I have parted ways with The Ocean.

There are many reasons and it was a hard decision to reach but what it boils down to is my poor financial situation and I need to continue working with my other band Collusion (www.myspace.com/collusion666) and with constant touring this is not possible for me anymore.

This last tour was awesome though, a roller coaster of emotions and alcoholic cocktails with some crazy Finnish, Swedish, Canadian, Swiss and German people. I've had such an amazing time with all of the Ocean guys past and present and I will miss then all greatly - Me and Jona almost cried like babies before the last show in G-Burg, Sweden. It's hard to scream like a motherfucker when you have a lump of emotions in your throat.

I wish them all the best of luck for the future, take care dudes, it's been a blast. Thanks to all of the cool people I've been so fortunate to meet and hang out with"

THE OCEAN is currently without a main vocalist.

“We are looking for a unique, versatile vocalist who can cover all vocal styles from strong clean singing to hoarse rock vocals to melodic pitch screaming to all ranges of grunts, growls and shrieks. Someone who can play at least one other instrument (preferably piano / keyboard or bass)…a powerful, charismatic performer, a sight to behold on stage…experience is crucial - we want someone who knows that he is willing to dedicate his life to being in a touring band, someone who knows what it's like to tour.

Email info@theoceancollective.com. DO NOT write us on myspace.”

www.theoceancollective.com
www.myspace.com/theoceancollective

THE OCEAN: BUY HERE




The Ocean & Bison b.c.’s Hamburg and Berlin shows to be streamed LIVE!
The Ocean & Bison b.c.’s upcoming shows in Hamburg and Berlin on March 16th and 21st, respectively, will be streamed live from the venues by LIGX The concerts will also be archived on the website for fans to view after the shows are over. The Ocean & Bison b.c. are currently stampeding their way across Europe with fellow forward-thinking metal acts Burst & Medeia.

Direct Link to 3/16 Hamburg Stream: The Ocean @ 6:00pm EST & Bison b.c. @ 4:15pm EST

Direct Link to 3/21 Berlin Stream: The Ocean @ 4:50pm EST & Bison b.c. @ 1:15pm EST

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THE OCEAN
Tour w/ Burst, BISON b.c., Medeia

03/10 Koln, DE Underground
03/11 London, UK Academy 2
03/12 Sheffield, UK Corporation
03/13 Nijmegen, NL Dornrosje
03/14 Sneek, NL The Legend
03/15 Bruxelles, BE VK
03/16 Hamburg, DE Logo
03/17 Darmstadt, DE Muhltal Steinruch Theatre
03/18 Esch, LU Kulturfabrik
03/19 Martigny, CH Les Caves Du Manoir
03/20 Zedtwitz, DE Fernverkehr
03/21 Berlin, DE Lido

www.ligx.de
www.myspace.com/theoceancollective
www.myspace.com/bisoneastvan