NO)))ISECAST #46 - Robin Staps from The Ocean & Pelagic Records

ABOUT THE
OCEANRight off the back of a 6
months world tour, the Berlin-based atmospheric post metal
juggernaut The Ocean (Collective) returns with the follow-up to
their critically acclaimed Phanerozoic double album. Holocene
sees The Ocean add a closing chapter to their
palaeontology-inspired album series, presenting a gear shift
towards the electronic world while redefining heaviness at the
same time.



Founded at the dawn of the millennium, the group of musicians
helmed by guitarist Robin Staps shows no sign of slowing down
even with over 20 years under their belt. Coming together around
a shared vision of limitless sonic exploration and unrelenting
heaviness, they gained a formidable reputation within the post
rock, post-metal, progressive metal & hardcore scenes.Being
revered as one of the most devastating live bands in contemporary
heavy music, The Ocean became a regular fixture on the European
festival circuit appearing on metal festivals like Hellfest,
Wacken and Resurrection as well as main-stream rock open airs
like Roskilde, Dour, Pukkelpop or Oya and tastemakers' indoor
boutique festivals like Roadburn and Dunk!. Over the course of
their storied career, the band have toured Europe and North
America with artists such as Opeth, Mastodon, Mono, Cult of Luna,
The Dillinger Escape Plan, Katatonia, Anathema, Between The
Buried And Me and Devin Townsend. The band's own Pelagic Records
has become one of the world's leading labels for post-rock and
post-metal, with a catalogue of over 230 physical releases since
2009



ABOUT
HOLOCENEPhanerozoic II
ended with a track titled “Holocene”, and now it's clear that
this track was pointing in the direction of things to come, both
conceptually and musically. The dark, synth-driven track Holocene
ends abruptly and yet connects seamlessly with the beginning of
the new album: the haunting synth sounds of opener “Preboreal”.
Enter the Holocene - the latest and thus-far shortest epoch on
the geological time scale in which humanity appeared on the
planet. Through rapid proliferation and technological progress,
our species has shaped and changed our planet in ways
unprecedented in history. Moving into the human age, The Ocean
have become more intimate and captivating musically, while
creeping deeper into their own DNA with numerous references to
their earlier discography which older fans will cherish.
Listening to the album Holocene brings back familiar feelings:
that wide open spaciousness found on the 2nd half of Pelagial,
those dark subdued delay-soaked melodies lingering underneath the
aquatic surface all unmistakably carry the trademark of Staps'
ingenious writing – but there is also anew emphasis here: the
distortion on the guitars is dialed back in favor of radiant
synths and horns in every song, and Rossetti's charismatic vocals
remain mostly clean.



With Holocene The Ocean draw us into their momentum of truly
forward-thinking music and relentless live performances. More
than 20 years into their career, this Berlin-based collective
still shakes us to the core, inviting us to reconsider our lives
from different angles.Dwelling in the depths of our inner
contemplations, while looking up, we can see the light at the
surface. A light we might have taken for granted for so long, but
of which The Ocean show us a rare glimpse of perspective.
Holocene unites the might of this massive act’s past and present,
while creating a deeper understanding of their world as well as
ours in the process.



THE OCEAN is:
Loïc Rossetti - Vocals
Paul Seidel - Drums
Mattias Hägerstrand – Bass
Robin Staps – Guitars
David Ahfeldt – Guitars
Peter Voigtmann - Keys



more infos:
https://www.theoceancollective.com/
https://pelagic-records.com/artist/the-ocean/