I’ll it that I’m not as familiar with Oceano as I would like. My dabbles into the deathcore world in recent times haven’t been as far-reaching as they used to be and while I have listened to a heck of a lot of it, I seemed to just miss when Oceano started. Hailing from a part of the US where I used to live, it’s hard to imagine something this insanely heavy coming from that part of the world…
The production on this album, I must say, is some of the best I’ve heard for deathcore. Deathcore can often sound either overproduced or like it’s been recorded with a food blender. They seem to have hit the balance just right on this album, and the breakdowns aren’t distorted but still sound heavy.
Right from the get-go, this record takes no prisoners with “Dark Prophecy” and “Lucid Reality” setting the theme of things to come. Down-tuned guitars, pounding drums and the suitably fitting vocals of Adam Warner create an almost oppressive sound. And judging from the lyrical themes, that seems to be the intention.
Much of the record continues in a similar fashion with the tried and tested formula not varying too much. While to some that may sound boring; if it ain’t broke, then don’t fix it. That mentality contrasts massively with the overall message of the record. With vocalist Adam mentioning that his lyrics are meant “To make people more aware of our environment and how to protect it.” While I might have to read the lyric sheets to understand fully what he’s saying, the musical style and nuances reflect the words near perfectly.
After I first heard this record, it’s almost as If I’ve come full-circle with my tastes in metal. While at one point I only searched for the heaviest things known to man, these days I’ll listen to just about anything. This record can comfortably sit in the ‘heaviest things known to man’ category as it’s unlike a lot of the early deathcore I listened to. It’s not just breakdown after breakdown, every second of each song and each lyric has been perfectly crafted to create arguably one of the best deathcore albums of this year.
Rating: 8/10
Standout tracks: Dark Prophecy, The Great Tribulation, Majestic 12, Human Harvest
Revelation is released 19th May
