Dormition's Journal

Dormition's Journal
April 21, 2010

As of lately a certain album has been gracing my ears with it's array of melodies and symphonic/atmospheric sounds. The album I speak of is The Oceans "Heliocentric". The Ocean, founded in 2000 by guitarist and songwriter Robin Staps, is an experimental metal band from Berlin, Germany. Their sound combines elements of progressive metal with classical music and electronic soundscapes to create their aggressive post-metal sound. The band has a few albums under their belt, each being amazing in their own way, which is a true statement to their talent and maturity as a band. In their early years, the band comprised of over 40 musicians, until a stable line-up was established.



Their recent endeavor into the music world as well as their discography, is an album entitled "Heliocentric", an album which tells the story of the rise of the heliocentric world view - the idea that the earth revolves around the sun, and that the sun is stationary and at the center of the universe. After the intro track, "Firmament" starts the journey with the creation of the firmament in Genesis 1:6-20 (Firmament) and ancient explanations of the movement of celestial bodies in The Book of Enoch 72:2-5 (The 1st Commandment of the Luminaries). It goes into both Copernicus and Galileo (track 3: "The First Commandment of the Luminaries" ), the first propagators of heliocentrism who were not yet in conflict with the Church (track 4: "Ptolemy Was Wrong") and Giordano Bruno, who was burned at the stake of the Spanish Inquisition for being a heretic (track 5: "Catharsis of a Heretic"). Track 7, "Metaphysics of the Hangman" lyrics were inspired by Arthur Rimbaud's's criticism of moral law in his essay Reasons Not to Believe in God and Nietzsche's rejection of fundamental Christian values. The two final tracks of the album conclude with Darwin's theory of evolution (track 9: "The Origin of Species") and ideas inspired by evolution biologist and passionate atheist Richard Dawkins (track 10: "The Origin of God").

The album ranges from many styles, while maintaing a constant flow, which keeps you listening and wanting to hear the next part of the story/track. The Ocean is no stranger to having a symphony accompanying their music, and it's very apparent in this release, and by no means unwanted. The opening instrumental track Shamayim, sets the mood for the rest of the album, which is a blend of crushing heavy tunes and a few calm songs, where piano and vocals take the forefront, most notably on the track "Ptolemy Was Wrong". All and all, Heliocentric is a perfect blend of riffs, wood/brass instruments, pianos, clean/harsh vocals and atmospheric sound that makes this another amazing release from The Ocean.

Until next time...