Artist: ...And Oceans
Label: Century Media
Release Date: 2/20/01
|
|
Title: Allotropic/Metamorphic - Genesis Of Dimorphism (A.M.G.O.D.) Artist: ...And Oceans Label: Century Media Release Date: 2/20/01 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
|
4 | ||
|
3 | ||
|
4 | ||
|
|
Go to Reader Reviews | ||
Abyss's Review:
What would happen if an eighties era new wave band merged with a late 90s experimental death metal outfit? Two totally different styles of music separated by twenty years of musical evolution. If one considers that new wave arrived out of the ashes of a deteriorating English and American punk scene, it’s possible to say that both styles have some sort of root in aggressive music, but the direction they’ve come, and more importantly, the way they’re perceived, are light years apart.
…And Oceans appear to want to meld the two styles, taking keyboards that could’ve come off a New Order album from 1982, and mixing thick guitars and growled vocals and coming up with a sound that is very disjointed, distracting, but altogether interesting. This album reminds me a little of one of my favorite albums of last year, Apollo Ends, by Sculptured. And while the overall presentation of this album is different, its ambitions remain similar. That is, mixing sounds that seem in no way relevant to one another, and making it work. These guys are quite successful at it, and while parts of this album seem flawed and over-extended, the core of this album is beautiful and challenging, coming across as sincere rather than being experimental for experiment’s sake.
"What would happen if an eighties era new wave band merged with a late 90s experimental death metal outfit?" I must admit, however, that it takes a little getting used to, and I consider myself pretty open-minded when it comes to the experimental side of metal. The synthesizer, that is often quite prominent, has little brutality about it. While keyboards/synthesizers in metal are largely used to carry a melody, here they are much more rhythmic, an example being the opening track, “Intelligence is Sexy”. The keyboards echo and ricochet off the rest of the music, which at first (and at second and third, for that matter) is very disorientating. However, when one gets past the novelty, one can appreciate it for what it is, a very well crafted and well thought out song.
And while I pulled that specific song out as an example, it could easily be reiterated for the rest of the album (with the possible exception of the closing track, “New Model World” which is lacking in metalness). The songs sound very mechanized, and if the rhythms were a little more aggressive they’d sound industrial, but they remain much more tame, mechanical but metered, with the only real force coming from the guitar, which shares time, but is not overpowered by the sonic experiment going on around them. And it is because of this fact that the album is largely successful.
Death's Review:
Blackened euro-metal soaked in keyboards and fused together with relatively plodding riffs. Here's a big surprise coming, right? I'll bet Death doesn't like it. Well hold on, not so fast. While this definitely isn't my thing, it's not so bad either. There are more than mere moments on this record which hold my interest. And while the pulsating disco beat running directly into a series of blackened speed tremolo picking parts as found on "white synthetic noise" is not one of them, some of the heavier aspects of the riff and keys which follow at the beginning of "tears have no name" come together in what can only be described as some sort of gothicly brutal kind of way. The mechanized portions almost evoke more of latter-era Prong or Ministry than anything else.
"A different, but kinda cool record overall." But what really elevates ...And Oceans above the mere two skull score I might ordinarily give something like this is the seriousness of the approach. While they do have silly psuedonyms, ...And Oceans just doesn't seem as pre-fabricated and as superficial as some of their other blackened-techno contemporaries (is there really such a subgenre or am I making it up?). In the end, songs like the aforementioned "tears" take the listener on a blackened sonic journey through time and space born of sheer power and beauty and wrapped in a cool-looking album cover done by Dark Tranquility guitarist Niklas Sundin. Then tracks like "espirit de corps" show up to rip your fucking face off with German style eighties thrash. A different, but kinda cool record overall. Worth checking out if you enjoy European extreme yet have a taste for the experimental.
Hel's Review:
My first exposure to …And Oceans… I have to say, it was difficult to get a grip on this album at first - it starts off with a song that is somewhere between black metal and house or techno. And continues to build from there. Combining these disparate musical elements is what …And Oceans is all about, from what I gather.
"Make no mistake, it is as challenging to listen to as its title is to say quickly, but worth the effort if you are looking for skillful blending of themes." They do so extremely well, while leaving out many of the more distracting elements from each, like the supremely high-pitched female vocals which crop up so frequently in black metal, and the incessant, vocal-less droning of techno. Keys abound, but in a complementary fashion to the music, not in that carnival funhouse kind of way. The vocals are straightforward screams, at varying pitches, and harsh, low, growls for expression.
The undeniable house/techno addiction is a bit of an issue, but they seem to invariably pull away from the brink of disaster by timing a cool way to fade it out and into something distinctly more metal just before my intolerance seizes control. The glaring exception is "New Model World" which, frankly, I only listened to once. Since there is nothing remotely metal in this song, I found I was much happier just skipping it altogether. But they do push the boundaries frequently, and those with a low tolerance for that kind of mechanized keyboard sound should beware.
All and all, this is a well-formed, well-executed album that makes an impression with both its proficiency and its creativity. Make no mistake, it is as challenging to listen to as its title is to say quickly, but worth the effort if you are looking for skillful blending of themes.
[- Metal Judgment Home -] [- Email Metal Judgment -]
©1999 Metal Judgment. All rights reserved.