“Face death, effacing death,
From our every day lives.
Tell me just how clean have we become?
How safe have we become?“
Ever wondered what would it be like if such a thing as post-trip-hop-metal ever existed? This record will answer exactly that and the answer is insane.
For everyone as hooked as we at Tzertzelos are with The Ocean Collective, it was a hard time waiting for the new work of the Berlin-based collective.
The band just released what seems to be the last part of their paleontology-inspired work, naturally investigating the Holocene epoch nerd alert: geo info follows (which began ~11.7k years before now, basically as soon as the last Ice Age was over), an easter egg that could be deduced from the last track of their last record (Phanerozoic II) bearing the same name. It is accepted that the basic characteristic of this era is the emergence of humans on earth, as well as the impact our species has had on the global ecosystem.
Before we dive into the specifics of Holocene, some folks might find it useful to investigate the creative process behind it, in the words of Robin Staps, saying that, in contrast to their previous creations, “every single song is based on a musical idea that was originally written by Peter (Voigtmann, synths). He came up with these amazing synth parts that were already sounding huge in pre-production, and he sent me some of those raw, unfinished ideas during mid lockdown 2020… and while it was all electronic, it had that definite Ocean vibe to it. “. It is also worthwhile to add that the un-oceanized version of those ideas was developed separately by Peter Voigtmann, under the moniker SHRVL, in a separate EP Limbus. “Holocene is an appendix to the 2 Phanerozoic albums and Precambrian, or the final and concluding chapter, making it a quadrilogy if you want so”, Robin adds. And, indeed, the electronic influence is obvious throughout the record.
Holocene opens with Preboreal, a heavy synth-fluenced hehe idea, no stranger to the band. It goes with a characteristic prelude flavour that is welcome from anyone that knows how the band structures their artistic foundations. There we are introduced to a few key concepts “We have all lost our way out long ago” and “We are no longer critical”. In the same flavour, come Boreal and the mezmerizing Sea of Reeds. The conclude the introducing trio of the record.
Then comes Atlantic. It’s such a powerful tune. Very drone-y, it occupies space and time in a very unattempting way. The bass and drumms are so locked in together, such a great show of craftmanship. The lyrics of Loic are again hypnotic, they carry great value and go hand-in-hand with the rythmic section. The starting parts of the song (so hypnotic!) have low intensity lyrics, but when the main riffs hit you hard in the face, so do the words spitting from Loic’s mouth “Enter the void of your own imagination. Harvest the fruits of years of procrastination”.
Subboreal is one of the heavier parts of this record, and is trully a masterpiece. And in the same character follows Uncomformities (although it starts slow and becomes intense later on), where Karin Park performs graceful guest vocals (an incredible addition; the band always chooses the proper people to add to their record). Parabiosis is a proper highlight of the record. And so is Subatlantic. The second half of the record embraces the bands sludgy/post-hardcore past, involving heavier, heartbreaking riffage.
The overall flavour of the record is trully magnificent. The electronic element is present (even more than usual) but it sounds natural and the typical, Ocean rythm parts compliment it seemlessly. The wind instruments that are present in some parts of the record are perfect as always. The evolution of the album is somewhat different that that of Ocean’s previous: Holocene starts slow, while it builds, on and on, until the crescendo hits right at the end.
Lyrically, it looks like the position of syllables in Loic’s lyrics is chosen very carefully to match with the rythmical staccatos. It looks like the main focus is on humanity’s narcissistic obsession with itself, hunting for perfection and – ultimately – immortality. At the same time, it is a critique towards modernity, towards inability to learn from past mistakes (“don’t act as if you were unaware what lies ahead” – Subatlantic, for example).
Holocene is a artistic masterpiece. It produces an abundance of images, throught its length, giving you the impression that it’s not a record you’re listening to, but rather a movie. The production is truly perfect (thanks Karl Daniel Lidén). Each instrument has it’s own spectrum to operate into, and so does Loic’s voice.
The band has achieved what other artists struggle with for the entirety of their careers: they captivate the audience, with absolutely no struggle. You can’t stop this record middway, you need to “watch” until the end.
This record is absolute filth.
Favourite tracks: Seriously, you can’t pick one. This record is one track, start to finish.
The Ocean Collective are Robin Staps, Loïc Rossetti, Paul Seidel, Mattias Hagerstrand , David Ramis Åhfeldt and Peter Voigtmann. Holocene is released by Pelagic Records.
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