‘Top 50 Albums Of 2013’ Countdown – #10: The Ocean – Pelagial

By Andrew Bansal

German progressive/experimental metal band The Ocean have been around for 12 years, and led by guitarist Robin Staps, they’ve never been afraid to explore their creative abilities and to push the boundaries and definitions of their style of progressive metal. Throughout their career they succeeded in their endeavor and steadily built up a fan base in Europe and more recently in America and elsewhere. In 2010, they took upon a massive double concept album release consisting of ‘Heliocentric’ and ‘Anthropocentric’, and to follow that would have been a herculean task for any band but The Ocean have managed to come up trumps with their sixth studio album ‘Pelagial’ which was released via Metal Blade Records earlier this year. The album represents the band more aptly than anything they’ve done in the past, as its musical concept portrays a physical journey from the surface of the ocean to its innermost depths, and a mental journey that transcends the listener onto a whole another planet. This multi-dimensional, multi-layered 53-minute composition should ideally be perceived as a single track rather than 11 individual ones. The creative brilliance of Robin Staps oozes through this masterpiece and has earned the band a new level of respect from fans and critics alike. Aside from the standard version, the album also has an instrumental version which gives it an entirely different perspective. The Ocean’s ‘Pelagial’ is an enjoyable piece of music for just about any setting but it’s perhaps the best ‘travel album’ released in a long time. When you’re traveling, this album makes for the ideal companion and before you realize it, the album compels you to lose yourself in an introspective world. A work of genius highly recommended for fans of progressive, experimental music.

Track Listing:
1. Epipelagic
2. Mesopelagic: The Uncanny
3. Bathyalpelagic I: Impasses
4. Bathyalpelagic II: The Wish in Dreams
5. Bathyalpelagic III: Disequillibrated
6. Abyssopelagic I: Boundless Vasts
7. Abyssopelagic II: Signals of Anxiety
8. Hadopelagic I: Omen of the Deep
9. Hadopelagic II: Let Them Believe
10.Demersal: Cognitive Dissonance
11.Benthic: The Origin of Our Wishes

Duration: 53.2 minutes

Visit The Ocean on the web:
facebook.com/TheOceanCollective
twitter.com/OceanCollective

The countdown so far …
#50. Nails – Abandon All Life
#49. American Sharks – Self-Titled
#48. Hatebreed – The Divinity Of Purpose
#47. Helen Money – Arriving Angels
#46. Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats – Mind Control
#45. Ihsahn – Das Seelenbrechen
#44. Church Of Misery – Thy Kingdom Scum
#43. Wolvserpent – Perigaea Antahkarana
#42. Djinn And Miskatonic – Forever In The Realm
#41. Czar – No One Is Alone If No One Is Alive 
#40. Against The Grain – Surrounded By Snakes
#39. Nekrofilth – Devil’s Breath
#38. Kylesa – Ultraviolet
#37. The Devil’s Blood – III: Tabula Rasa or Death and the Seven Pillars
#36. Kadavar – Abra Kadavar
#35. Purson – The Circle And The Blue Door
#34. Carousel – Jeweler’s Daughter
#33. Kvelertak – Meir
#32. SpiralArms – Freedom
#31. Satan – Life Sentence
#30. Exhumed – Necrocracy
#29. Havok – Unnatural Selection
#28. Mothership – Self-Titled
#27. UDO – Steelhammer
#26. Ramming Speed – Doomed To Destroy, Destined To Die
#25. Revocation – Self-Titled 
#24. Gorguts – Colored Sands
#23. Kobra And The Lotus – Self-Titled 
#22. Toxic Holocaust – Chemistry Of Consciousness
#21. Saxon – Sacrifice 
#20. Noctum – Final Sacrifice
#19. Intronaut – Habitual Levitations (Instilling Words With Tones)
#18. Scale The Summit – The Migration
#17. Warbringer – IV: Empires Collapse
#16. Scorpion Child – Self-Titled
#15. Motörhead – Aftershock
#14. Holy Grail – Ride The Void
#13. Red Fang – Whales And Leeches
#12. Soilwork – The Living Infinite
#11. ASG – Blood Drive
#10. The Ocean – Pelagial 

Check out #9 here.

Comments

comments