IT’S TIME TO GET ANTHROPOCENTRIC WITH THE OCEAN

The buzz in our comments section earlier this year was that some folks were a little disappointed by The Ocean’s Heliocentric, the first of the German progressive metal band’s two-pronged 2010 album attack. Most sane folks though Heliocentric was perfectly brilliant — this writer among them — but haters are always gonna be haters and I’m just reporting it like I saw it. While frontman/genius Robin Staps always maintained that Heliocentric was the proggier, more experimental record and that its cousin, Anthropocentric, would be the heavier record fans are more accustomed to from The Ocean, we’re finally about to find out.

A press release from the band and from their U.S. label Metal Blade sent out last night is the first we’ve heard about Anthropocentric in detail. For those who thought Heliocentric wasn’t heavy enough, you’re in luck:

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!”

Anthropocentric is currently being mixed and a mastering date is set for August 25th… which means a release date can’t be far off, although none is mentioned specifically other than “November.” European Ocean fans can catch the band on tour with The Dillinger Escape Plan in October.

Now… regular readers of MS know we usually don’t do this, but the rest of the press release is so chock full of info that I’m going to post it after the jump. Lyrical themes of Anthropocentric, tracklisting, guest musicians, tour dates, oh my! Super-stoked for this album.

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 – Dürer-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 – Kafé 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