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THE OCEAN posts China tour footage; on tour now with The Devin Townsend Project
Check out the brand new trailer HERE with footage from The Ocean's recent tour in China and Hongkong, which was completed just before this North American run with The Devin Townsend Project.
The Ocean has been on tour with The Devin Townsend Project since the beginning of the month and, so far, the crowds have been very receptive. Because The Ocean's original touring plans had them ending on the east coast, they are working on tour dates to get them back to Boston once the Townsend dates wrap up in Vancouver, BC.
Robin Staps offers the following update: "The Devin Townsend tour's been great so far, Devin is one of the nicest dudes I have ever met in metal and we've had some great times on the road with him and his gang. Not too many shows left now, this tour will finish up on October 29th in Vancouver, B.C. Since we were originally supposed to do another tour, our plane tickets are out of Boston, so we will drive our van back to the East Coast in early November and play some last minute shows on the way. We are also confirmed for the Cynic show in Toronto on November 10th!"
THE OCEAN
Tour w/ The Devin Townsend Project
10/27 Portland, OR Hawthorne
10/28 Seattle, WA El Corazon
10/29 Vancouver, BC Commodore
End Tour
THE OCEAN
Headlining Tour
10/31 Boise, ID The Shredder (to be confirmed)
11/01 Ogden, UT Motos w/ White Arms Of Athena
11/02 Denver, CO Casselman's
11/03 Omaha, NE House Show at 5810 Grover St.
11/04 Saint Paul, MN Station 4
11/05 Indianapolis, IN Indy's Jukebox
11/06 OHIO DATE
11/07 Pittsburgh, PA Mr Roboto Project
11/08 DC area or BUFFALO OR SYRACUSE or NYC / NJ
11/09 BUFFALO OR SYRACUSE
11/10 Toronto, ON The Annex Wreck Room w/ Cynic, 3 and Scale The Summit
11/11 NYC area / LONG ISLAND
11/12 CT / RI / MA / NH
http://www.facebook.com/theoceancollective
http://www.youtube.com/theoceancollective
http://twitter.com/oceancollective
THE OCEAN confirmed to support The Devin Townsend Project; release new live video
The Ocean, who previously reported that their North American tour plans were scrapped, have announced that they will be supporting fellow progressive act The Devin Townsend Project. The tour heads out on October 8th and promises to be one of the best progressive tours of the Fall. Those who have been wanting for longer sets from both acts, who often serve to support other bands on tour, will be treated to a once-on-a-lifetime evening of progressive metal grandeur.
Guitarist and founding member Robin Staps was reached for comment:"Obviously this totally fucking rules. I've been a big fan of Hevy Devy's varicolored rumblings for many years, and we're glad that this situation that we were facing after our initially planned US tour was blown off has turned from dire into bodacious now!"
Fans who have yet to see The Ocean live can catch a preview online now. The band has released a live video from their outstanding performance at this year's Summer Breeze festival in Germany. Watch the band perform the final song of their set, The Origin of God, from the album Heliocentric, HERE.
THE OCEAN
Tour w/ The Devin Townsend Project
10/08 Minneapolis, MN Station 4 Devin Townsend ONLY
10/09 Grand Rapids, MI Intersection Devin Townsend ONLY
10/10 Columbus, OH Ravari Room Devin Townsend ONLY
10/12 Baltimore, MD Sound Stage
10/13 Philadelphia, PA The Note
10/14 Worcester, MA Rock And Shock
10/15 Poughkeepsie, NY The Chance
10/16 Pittsburgh, PA The Altar
10/17 Cleveland, OH Peabody's
10/18 Detroit, MI Harpo's
10/19 Chicago, IL Reggie's
10/21 Colorado Springs, CO Black Sheep
10/22 Denver, CO Marquis Theater
10/24 Los Angeles, CA Troubadour
10/25 San Francisco, CA Slim's
10/27 Portland, OR Hawthorne
10/28 Seattle, WI El Corazon
10/29 Vancouver, BC Commodore
http://www.facebook.com/theoceancollective
http://www.metalblade.com/theocean
http://twitter.com/oceancollective
THE OCEAN: "Roots And Locusts" Video Premiere Brought To You By Metal Injection
Metal Injection is currently hosting a video for "The Grand Inquisitor II: Roots & Locusts," from German progressive metal/post hardcore enigmas, THE OCEAN. The song comes off the band's Anthropocentric full-length, released via Metal Blade last November. Anthropocentric is the sequel to Heliocentric (released in April of 2010). Together the records serve as a separately-issued double album, a mammoth conceptual effort that took almost two years to complete. From a lyrical and artistic point of view, the albums represent a fundamental and philosophical critique of Christianity.
Check out the killer video for "The Grand Inquisitor II: Roots & Locusts" HERE.
The band is currently making their way through North America on The Hypersleep Dialogues Trek, with headliners Between The Buried And Me, Job For A Cowboy and Cephalic Carnage on select dates. Presented by Peter Says Denim, in association with Guitar World & MetalSucks.net, The Hypersleep Dialogues Trek commenced on April 15th and has been ravaging ears from city-to-city every since.
THE OCEAN [remaining dates]
w/ Between The Buried And Me, Job For A Cowboy, Cephalic Carnage (*on select dates)
5/03/2011 Ace Of Clubs - Sacramento, CA *
5/04/2011 Slims - San Francisco, CA *
5/05/2011 Glasshouse Music Hall - Pomona, CA *
5/06/2011 Soma - San Diego, CA *
5/07/2011 Nile Theatre - Mesa, AZ *
5/09/2011 The Door - Dallas, TX
5/10/2011 The Marquee - Tulsa, OK
5/11/2011 New Daisy Theatre - Memphis, TN
5/12/2011 The Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
5/13/2011 Rockettown - Nashville, TN
5/14/2011 The Orange Peel - Asheville, NC
http://www.theoceancollective.com/heliocentric
http://www.metalblade.com/theocean
http://www.facebook.com/theoceancollective
http://www.myspace.com/theoceancollective
http://twitter.com/OceanCollective
http://www.youtube.com/theoceancollective
http://www.metalblade.com
THE OCEAN: Guitarist Comments On Back-To-Back European Tours
German atmospheric/progressive metal enigmas, THE OCEAN, recently wrapped up two successful back-to-back European tours; one with math metallers The Dillinger Escape Plan and the other with legendary doom/atmospheric rockers Anathema. The tours coincided with the band's latest opus, Anthropocentric, released via Metal Blade early last month. Said guitarist Robin Staps of the two treks:
"Thanks to everyone who came out to see us during our recent European tours supporting The Dillinger Escape Plan and then Anathema. We've had an amazing time with both bands and would like to thank them for inviting us to join them.
It was a great honor and fun to share the stage with The Dillinger Escape Plan. I have been a fan of this band for more than 10 years and had a blast watching them destroy every single stage they got to, 33 nights in a row. We've all become good friends over those five weeks, [THE OCEAN vocalist] Loic [Rossetti] had been guesting with them on the song 'Sunshine, The Werewolf' for the last 10 shows or so, and Ben Weinman joined us on piano for 'The First Commandment Of The Luminaries' in return. It was awesome, there is some YouTube footage up there if you care…
The Anathema tour was equally amazing and came as a big surprise, as we didn't really know what to expect from this tour. We were overwhelmed by the positive feedback we received everywhere from Anathema's fans, as well as our own of course. We were the heavy band on this tour but it seems that the diversity of the bill was exactly what made it interesting for most people: the amazing Petter Carlssen opening up with an acoustic set, us following up with doom and destruction and then Anathema playing an epic two-plus-hour set most nights.
Thanks for watching and listening. Stay tuned and keep on truckin'."
Anthropocentric serves as part two of the concept explored on THE OCEAN's well-received Heliocentric long player, released this past spring. The concept at the base of both offerings is a critique of Christianity from varying philosophical and personal perspectives. Both records were recorded in the mountainous isolation of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, the highest elevated city in Europe, and recorded and mixed by their house sound engineer Julien Fehlmann.
"THE OCEAN COLLECTIVE have their own subgenre really (progressive avant-garde sludge-score doomrock, or whatever they call themselves)… -- Ultimate Guitar
"If you didnt think Heliocentric was heavy enough then this would be the album for you and if you still think it is still not heavy enough then you just might be from the Cenozoic Era. No intelligent life anywhere." Hellbound
"THE OCEAN isn't in the bizz for making a few decent tracks to stand out from an otherwise bland album. Quite the contrary, they are in the bizz for making whole albums into experiences," -- Metal Archives
"Talented is an understatement, in much the same way as saying the band is simply 'creative' would be selling them short. THE OCEAN are a thinking mans metal band, challenging and accessible in equal measure." -- Lush Beat
"Anthropocentric is the aggressive counterpart to the dynamic melodies heard on Heliocentric." -- About.com
THE OCEAN: New Album Debuts At No. 113 On Billboard's New Artist Chart; Live Tour Footage Featuring Ben Weinman Of The Dillinger Escape Plan Posted
Anthropocentric, the latest album from German atmospheric metal enigmas THE OCEAN, debuted at position No. 113 on Billboard's New Artists Chart and No. 31 on iTunes' Canadian Metal Charts.
The record, released in North America via Metal Blade November 9, serves as a sequel to the concept explored on the band's successful Heliocentric full-length, released this past spring. A critique on Christianity and man's ultimate place in the universe, Anthropocentric is both musically and thematically compelling and currently flooring metallers across the land.
Hellbound gave the record a 9.5/10 rating saying, "If you didnt think Heliocentric was heavy enough then this would be the album for you and if you still think it is still not heavy enough then you just might be from the Cenozoic Era. No intelligent life anywhere." Noted Metal Archives: "THE OCEAN isn't in the bizz for making a few decent tracks to stand out from an otherwise bland album. Quite the contrary, they are in the bizz for making whole albums into experiences," with Lush Beat adding, "Talented is an understatement, in much the same way as saying the band is simply 'creative' would be selling them short. THE OCEAN are a thinking mans metal band, challenging and accessible in equal measure." About.com's verdict? "Anthropocentric is the aggressive counterpart to the dynamic melodies heard on Heliocentric."
In related news, THE OCEAN joined The Dillinger Escape Plan for a stretch of dates through Europe earlier this Fall. Dillinger guitarist Ben Weinman joined THE OCEAN on stage to improv some piano parts to "The First Commandment Of The Luminaries" from the band's Heliocentric offering. Check out footage HERE.
The band is currently wrapping up a Euro tour supporting legendary UK doom/atmospheric rockers Anathema. Remaining dates include:
11/18/2010 Diesel Club - Budapest, Hungary
11/21/2010 Akademija - Belgrade, Serbia (THE OCEAN headlining show)
11/22/2010 Randall - Bratislava, Slovakia
11/23/2010 Rock Cafι - Prague, Czech Republic
For review copies of Anthropocentric, interview requests or further info, contact EarsplitPR.
http://www.theoceancollective.com/heliocentric
http://www.metalblade.com/theocean
http://www.facebook.com/theoceancollective
http://www.myspace.com/theoceancollective
http://twitter.com/OceanCollective
http://www.youtube.com/theoceancollective
THE OCEAN: Anthropocentric Out Now On Metal Blade Records
Tour In Support Of Anathema To Commence Today
Today Metal Blade Records unleashes Anthropocentric, the latest full-length from German atmospheric metal titans THE OCEAN, to North American shores. Anthropocentric serves as part two of the concept explored on the band's well-received Heliocentric long player, released this past spring.
Anthropocentric's 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 circle around this question and continue THE OCEAN's critique of Christianity.
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 Fyodor 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 offering 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.
Commented guitarist Robin Staps: "We're looking forward to our new album Anthropocentric being released in North America. Anthropocentric gets by without the big orchestrations of Heliocentric -- the focus is on the core of this band: drums, bass, guitars, vocals. It is the most 'integrated' album we've done so far and everybody has been much more involved than ever before. This album is an effort that really represents this band as of where we stand right now, fall of 2010, and we are more satisfied with it than with any other album we've done. Lyrically, Anthropocentric is continuing the critique of Christianity that we begun with Heliocentric."
In related news, the band kicks off another European tour today supporting legendary UK doom/atmospheric rockers Anathema. Confirmed dates include:
11/09/2010 Rocking Chair - Vevey, Switzerland
11/10/2010 Z7 - Pratteln, Switzerland
11/11/2010 Estragon - Bologna, Italy
11/12/2010 Alpheus - Rome, Italy
11/13/2010 New Age - Treviso, Italy
11/14/2010 Magazzini Generali - Milan, Italy
11/15/2010 Boogaloo Club - Zagreb, Croatia
11/16/2010 Listhalle - Graz, Austria
11/17/2010 Viper Room - Vienna, Austria
11/18/2010 Diesel Club - Budapest, Hungary
11/21/2010 Akademija - Belgrade, Serbia (THE OCEAN headlining show)
11/22/2010 Randall - Bratislava, Slovakia
11/23/2010 Rock Cafι - Prague, Czech
http://www.theoceancollective.com/heliocentric
http://www.metalblade.com/theocean
http://www.facebook.com/theoceancollective
http://www.myspace.com/theoceancollective
http://twitter.com/OceanCollective
http://www.youtube.com/theoceancollective
THE OCEAN: Full Album Stream Via MetalSucks
New Full Length To Drop November 9
Today MetalSucks.com will begin streaming Anthropocentric, the upcoming full-length from German progressive/atmospheric metal enigmas THE OCEAN, in its entirety. The stream will remain active until November 8, the day before the official North American release date.
Check out Anthropocentric HERE.
Anthropocentric is the sequel to the band's Heliocentric long player, released earlier this year. Where Heliocentric tells the story of the rise of the heliocentric world view -- the idea that the earth revolves around the sun -- and the effects this discovery had on Christian belief and occidental culture, Anthropocentric challenges the views of creationists and other modern fundamentalists who still believe that the earth is at the center of the universe and no more than 5,000 years old. "Anthropocentric continues the critique of Christianity, inspired by the questions that Dostoyevsky asked and some of the answers that Friedrich Nietzsche and Richard Dawkins gave," notes guitarist Robin Staps.
Musically heavier than Heliocentric, Anthropocentric covers a similar sonic and dynamic range as its predecessor by including a number of calm, acoustic moments, but these are, for the most part, orchestrated with guitars, and not so much with piano and strings. "The album is a pretty big production, and still has a very earthy, organic feel to it," says Staps. "We've spent a great deal of time on the basic sound this time around -- the drums, bass, guitars and vocals -- and at this stage I am pretty confident that this will pay off in the end!"
Anthropocentric will be released on November 9 via Metal Blade Records.
http://www.theoceancollective.com/heliocentric
http://www.metalblade.com/theocean
http://www.facebook.com/theoceancollective
http://www.myspace.com/theoceancollective
http://twitter.com/OceanCollective
http://www.youtube.com/theoceancollective
THE OCEAN Robbed In Spain
On Wednesday, October 20, 2010 THE OCEAN, who are currently on tour supporting The Dillinger Escape Plan in Europe, were robbed on a highway near Madrid. Said the band in a statement: "Two guys in a black BMW pulled us over with fake police IDs. They asked for our van papers and IDs and wanted to know if we had any money to declare. We were not skeptical at this point, as it is normal in Europe that you have to declare larger amounts of money when you're crossing borders, so we told them we had merch money with us, and the guy wanted to see it. When we showed them the merch wallet, the guy reached through the open window, seized it and ran back to the BMW in front of us, where his colleague was waiting with the engine running. Unfortunately our van and trailer don't match the speed of a BMW, but fortunately it's not allowed to carry guns in Europe, as otherwise we would be in jail now for shooting the guy in the face.
"We are facing a loss of + 6000 euro of merch income of the last days and fees. The exact amount is still to be determined. As some of you may or may not know, conditions on support tours are usually grim. Fees are low and barely cover expenses for van, gas, highway tolls, ferries etc. There is no accommodation arrangements, we've been crashing out on people's floors for weeks. Losing more than 6000 euro is something we simply cannot afford at this point.
We are asking everyone who is planning to order Anthropocentric in the next few weeks through our shop to help out. You can do so by donating 5 Euro when you place your order. All income generated through this will make the loss smaller for us.
Everyone who donates 5 Euro will receive a copy of the police report and a Thank You card signed by all band members. We would like to thank you in advance for your support!"
You can donate at: http://www.pelagic-records.com/shop
In related news, THE OCEAN will support Anathema on another run of Euro shows in November. Confirmed dates include:
11/09/2010 Rocking Chair - Vevey, Switzerland
11/10/2010 Z7 - Pratteln, Switzerland
11/11/2010 Estragon - Bologna, Italy
11/12/2010 Alpheus - Rome, Italy
11/13/2010 New Age - Treviso, Italy
11/14/2010 Magazzini Generali - Milan, Italy
11/15/2010 Boogaloo Club - Zagreb, Croatia
11/16/2010 Listhalle - Graz, Austria
11/17/2010 Viper Room - Vienna, Austria
11/18/2010 Diesel Club - Budapest, Hungary
11/21/2010 Akademija - Belgrade, Serbia (Headline Show)
11/22/2010 Randall - Bratislava, Slovakia
11/23/2010 Rock Cafι - Prague, Czech Republic
http://www.theoceancollective.com/heliocentric
http://www.metalblade.com/theocean
http://www.facebook.com/theoceancollective
http://www.myspace.com/theoceancollective
http://twitter.com/OceanCollective
http://www.youtube.com/theoceancollective
THE OCEAN to premiere new song "Heaven TV" on Full Metal Jackie radio this weekend!
Full Metal Jackie will be premiering new music from THE OCEAN. Listen in this weekend (10/22-10/24.) To find a radio station near you airing the show, go to fullmetaljackieradio.com. Fans can hear Full Metal Jackie's show on over 30 rock radio stations across the US!
"Heaven TV," the ninth track from Anthropocentric, the upcoming full-length from German progressive/atmospheric metal enigmas THE OCEAN. Set for a North American release on November 9 via Metal Blade Records, Anthropocentric serves as part two of the concept explored on the band's well-received Heliocentric long player, released this past spring.
The concept at the base of both offerings is a critique of Christianity from varying philosophical and personal perspectives. Both records were recorded in the mountainous isolation of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, the highest elevated city in Europe, and recorded and mixed by their house sound engineer Julien Fehlmann.
In other THE OCEAN news, The Grand Inquisitor II Roots & Locusts, which premiered via Stereogum.com last week is currently the most listened to MP3 on the high-traffic website, beating out Child Rebel Soldier's (featuring Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco and Pharrell Williams) "Don't Stop."
Anthropocentric can be ordered and the first single, She Was The Universe, can be heard now at www.metalblade.com/theocean.
http://www.theoceancollective.com/heliocentric
http://www.metalblade.com/theocean
http://www.facebook.com/theoceancollective
http://www.myspace.com/theoceancollective
http://twitter.com/OceanCollective
http://www.youtube.com/theoceancollective
THE OCEAN: "The Grand Inquisitor II Roots & Locusts" Track Premiere Via Stereogum
Landing page with pre-orders for the US, UK, Canada, and Europe now live!
Today Stereogum premieres "The Grand Inquisitor II Roots & Locusts," the fifth track from Anthropocentric, the upcoming full-length from German progressive/atmospheric metal enigmas THE OCEAN. Set for a North American release on November 9th via Metal Blade Records, Anthropocentric serves as part two of the concept explored on the band's well-received Heliocentric long player, released this past spring.
The concept at the base of both offerings is a critique of Christianity from varying philosophical and personal perspectives. Both records were recorded in the mountainous isolation of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, the highest elevated city in Europe and recorded and mixed by their house sound engineer Julien Fehlmann.
To check out "The Grand Inquisitor II Roots & Locusts," visit: Stereogum.com
In addition, the LANDING PAGE for Anthropocentric is now live as well, offering fans in the US, UK, Canada, and Europe a chance to pre-order the album. "She Was the Universe," the third track off Anthropocentric, is streaming now. Metal Blade Records will continue to update the LANDING PAGE leading up to and throughout the release of Anthropocentric with news, tours, dates, video footage, and more so be sure to check back frequently.
More on Anthropocentric:
Despite the fact that Darwin inaugurated a paradigm shift in modern natural science, his thoughts were not the last nail in Christianity's coffin. There are still people who believe that the teachings in Genesis are to be taken verbatim. These people are at the crosslines of Anthropocentric. The album challenges the views of creationists and other modern fundamentalists who still believe that the earth is at the center of the universe and no more than 5,000 years old. Where Heliocentric covered a large range of dynamics and styles from calm, soulful songs based on piano and vocals to moments of eclectic heaviness, Anthropocentric is more straight forward, technical and soul-searingly heavy, whilst still tapping into the band's signature range of dynamics.
http://www.theoceancollective.com/heliocentric
http://www.metalblade.com/theocean/
http://www.facebook.com/theoceancollective
http://www.myspace.com/theoceancollective
http://twitter.com/OceanCollective
http://www.youtube.com/theocreancollective
http://www.metalblade.com
http://www.metalblade.tv
THE OCEAN reveal cover art for "Anthropocentric"!
THE OCEAN have finished their upcoming album Anthropocentric at Studio Mecanique in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, the same place where Heliocentric was recorded and mixed.
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 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 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 Oceans 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!
Germanys The Ocean have issued an update on their vocalist situation and the progress of their follow up to 2007s 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 isnt 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
Code for embedded player:
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
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