…And Oceans
Cosmic World Mother
Season Of Mist
4/5
When I saw this album on the pitch list, I first thought the label may have been offering a remaster of some of the band’s older releases for promotion. While that would be great and I’m sure that a lot of fans would love to experience those classic albums again, that is clearly not the case this time. Surprisingly, the band crafted a brand new album after a nearly twenty-year hiatus that began shortly with the release of Cypher (which is desperately in need of remastering, the disc is almost unlistenable in it’s current format) and it appears to be a collection of all their sounds and styles, from classic black metal to symphonic and even industrial. In my opinion, this is the best way the band could have presented themselves in the modern era and I hope that new listeners will find enjoyment in this reimagining of an almost forgotten act in the annals of black metal history.
The record begins with a mixture of hard-hitting black metal and background synths, not far removed from their earlier days. There’s definitely more of a threatening element to be found here than in those days however and I think that listeners of the modern stuff are going to find it an almost perfect addition to their collection. Parts of the disc sound avantgarde influenced, which only adds to the uniqueness of the recording. Rest assured, you’re going to get blasted by the drums here and if those don’t cause some degree of damage to your eardrums, than the ravenous vocal shouts will. The frontman sounds like he’s angry at the entire world, yet there’s a sense of beauty stuffed into the background that makes for both a dangerous and pleasant sound, all at the same time. The record does take a bit to get into it’s industrial realms, but that is fine because we’re too busy experiencing riffs that you can tell have been sitting in the back of their minds for quite some time now. The album’s title track actually brings in the industrial elements and that’s where the whole experience changes, without the listener even expecting it. Now I don’t know how some of you are going to feel when your blistering blackn metal onslaught starts experiencing chiptune synth infusions, but please try to keep an open mind about these guys as they’re trying very desperately to think outside the box. “Helminthiasis” for example, slows down on the drumming altogether to offer a moment in which only the synths and vocals can be heard, almost like some sort of stage play. Traces of this also pop up in “Oscillator Epitaph” as well as “Apokatastasis.” For the most part, the album retains a fast-paced aural assault, though there are sections in which other ideas and tempo changes are explored, particularly at the very end of album closer, “The Flickering Lights.” A tremendous vocal performance certainly lights up the night, with added Theremin to only accentuate what is an experience you need to hear in order to believe.
With that, I have to address a few complaints. One of the biggest problems I have with Cosmic World Mother is the amount of blasts on the record. Yes, I get it – there need to be fierce onslaughts of absolute chaos, but one of the things I absolutely abhor when reviewing discs is when several of the tracks sound too similar to each other. Not that the band didn’t change things up every now and again and offer different riff melodies as well as other experiments, but I just felt that there needed to be more offered within the tempo change department. Much of the record felt like the band playing on the same note and that can grow tiring after awhile. However, there are sections where the band took a break from this approach (especially with the electrified piano piece, “In Abhorrence Among Meadows”) and instead focused on decorating the atmosphere. You can tell that they’ve put quite a bit into this one and I’m sure that with an effort as presented, they’re not planning on stopping here. Granted, it has been a long time coming and I’m sure the guys were busy with other projects, families and other affairs, so I’m personally just glad to see a band that I remember from my teen years coming back to the scene while I’m still around to witness it. I have a feeling that many black metal listeners, especially those who remember the band’s earlier discs will find something more than they ever expected with this one. What can I say? The guys really blew it out of the water with this one and they’ve pulled out all the stops. In my mind it is clear that …And Oceans have not only returned, but that they’re here to stay.