OCEANS OF SLUMBER

Update 11/12/2020 - I've been relistening to my favorite records of 2020 and I genuinely believe I dropped the ball here in my original rating. This record is easily a 4 and, if you are already predisposed to liking doom metal, you will probably regard this records even higher.

---- Oceans of Slumber are an up-and-coming American progressive doom metal act known for infusing their sound with a healthy dose of Southern United States soul courtesy of female and Texas-raised lead singer Cammie Gilbert. Between the band's previous effort, The Banished Heart in 2018, and this year's eponymous release, nearly every member of the group had departed with the exception of Cammie and her partner, band founder, and drummer Dobber Beverly. With Cammie and Dobber firmly in creative control, Oceans of Slumber delivers a very focused and an arguably less riff-heavy variation on their previous sound.

The record kicks off with obvious Opeth inspired, though definitely not derivative, folksy and haunting acoustic guitar infused songs. As the album progresses, it traverses southern rock, death metal, symphonic, and doom metal territory. The primary focus of the album is, of course, Cammie's vocal work and her lyrics detailing her struggles, specifically the specific kinds of alienation she feels from American society at large.

The music on this record can often be very challenging, for better or worse. On a personal level, I find the doomier portions to be somewhat tedious, 'The Red Flower' being the most extreme example of this. Still these guys are one of the more unique acts in progressive metal today and this record deserves your attention.