PRECAMBRIAN

A double concept album relating to one of the earliest period's of the Earth's existence, this double album by Germany's The Ocean is an intriguing listen. The concept is strange in that lyrically, the topics tend to deal with mankind's materialism and is essentially a criticism of modern society, however the song titles are the names of different era's of Earth. Musically, there is quite the division between the two discs, where the first disc is more of a technical metal somewhat similar to Mastodon or Between the Buried and Me and the second disc is more atmospheric post-metal along the lines of isis or Giant Squid. The first disc also is essentially an EP, with five songs taking twenty two minutes. On this one, the aggression never relents, and it signifies the harshness of the Earth in it's formative stages with heavy riffing and screamed vocals. On the second disc, they mix this style with more atmospherics, which I think makes for a more intriguing listen. I do enjoy the first disc however, but I think the second is the perfect combination of styles for this band, where they mix the brutal death metal, post rock, some electronics, and symphonic elements. As a concept album, the tracks do flow together well and it is best to listen to the album as a whole. Not the greatest album ever recorded but it's definitely interesting and The Ocean is definitely doing something worthwhile and making interesting experimental heavy music.