THE OCEAN HAVE BEEN “SWALLOWED BY THE EARTH”

You will listen to The Ocean. You will like The Ocean. You will love The Ocean. You will realize that they’re one of the very best metal bands on the planet.

Do it. Because I said so and I know what’s best for you.

Precambrian nearly blew our minds when it came out in late 2007 and Heliocentric will do the same when it comes out on April 13th. Heliocentric is their most diverse album to date, exploring sounds all across the metal spectrum and beyond. I’ve yet to really wrap my head entirely around it; it’s the kind of album that’s going to take 6 or 7 dedicated listens to really learn, and likely the kind of album on which I’ll still be hearing new things five years from now. That’s the kind of band The Ocean are — they make dense, complex music that immediately hits the spot but can’t quite immediately be grasped in full. And the best part is that Heliocentric is only one part of the story; in October we’ll get Anthropomorphic,  written and recorded at the same time.

Get a taste of what Heliocentric has in store by checking out the new track “Swallowed by the Earth” on The Ocean’s MySpace page. It’s an alright example of what the album has in store, but evaluating the album as a whole based on one track is really just not fair at all. It does, however showcases new vocalist Loic Rossetti’s range and the diversity his approach brings to the band.

If you’re a fan of The Ocean, now’s a good time to get excited — MetalSucks has something very, very special in store starting at midnight EDT tomorrow night!

-VN