(By 虾米)德国著名金属团The Ocean的新作《Pelagial》是张独具匠心的氛围概念之作,或者说是对团名“海洋”的一次致敬。从始至终,器乐声效层层递进,模拟在海中不断下沉的体验,听完整张,你也将从轻盈明快的海面逐渐过渡到黑暗重压的海底。而乐队成员也说这从另一个层面是对自我内心的一次由内而外的探视。
The Ocean由吉他手和主要创作人Robin Staps在2000年建立。在接下来的两年时间里,将近四十位乐手在乐队试过音,直到一个稳定的阵容最终确定下来。
2002年七月,乐队在柏林一家现在已经停业的半合法俱乐部Eimer Club上演了处子秀。然后乐队发行了第一张出版物,其中包含了一曲长达三十分钟的Islands/Tides,这也是乐队早期演出中的经典曲目。
2003年在和瑞典Crust Punk乐队Coma的短暂巡演之后,乐队和Make My Day厂牌签约,稍后在场拍下发行了第一张EP Fogdiver。虽然在演出中乐队包含两位主唱,这张EP收录的还是五首纯器乐演奏的曲目。与上一张不同的是,这张录音的融合风格得到了各方面的称赞。
2004年的冬春之季,乐队录制了下面两张专辑的部分。在Make My Day和Throne厂牌的共同努力下,其中比较淡定以及氛围化的部分以Fluxion为名在2004年发行;但是乐队目前开始使用人声,音乐内容也更加接近乐队所想要表达的效果,这也让一些评论家在创意和原创性上视这张专辑为乐队的倒退。在采访中,乐队对批评者们进行了反击,认为他们心胸狭窄,对乐队如今凶残、狂暴的人声感到大惊小怪真是可笑。
在2005年夏天乐队与Metal Blade厂牌签约之后,上次录音剩下的部分被集结为Aeolian发表。原本Fluxion和Aeolian是想以美女与野兽形式的双专辑方式发行——最终没有实行——Aeolian走了一条更加另类的道路。与上张专辑不同的是,专辑中几乎没有使用古典和电子声响,显得更加简约。但是与Fluxion只有一位主唱不同的是,这张专辑中有七位主唱共同献声,其中Nate Newton, Sean Ingram, 和Tomas Hallbom的名字也出现在专辑对外宣传中。乐队说,Fluxion中Meta的声音对乐队来说显然太单调了,这张专辑中他们要做一些新的尝试。
2006年三月份专辑在北美发行。稍后的一年里,Fluxion和Aeolian的双张黑胶版由Throne Records发行,并发行了三款不同颜色的版本。2007年年底乐队发行了双张专辑Precambrian。2008年四月份,The Ocean在欧洲和北美进行了一系列巡演,共同巡演的乐队有Intronaut, Opeth,和At The Gates。09年四月Precambrian中的主唱以及乐队长期合作的成员Mike Pilat因为个人原因宣布离开乐队。
2009年十一月七日,Robin Staps宣布乐队找到了一位新主唱Loic Rossetti。
2010年The Ocean发行了两张专辑,在4月9日发行了Heliocentric,11月9日发行了Anthropocentric。这两张专辑“共同从根本和哲学角度批判了基督教,”Heliocentric描述了教会当年试图压制日心说的故事而Anthropocentric批判基督教的神创论的概念。乐队宣布他们的一张记录乐队2011年一月二十九日在柏林Musikinstrumenten-Museum演出的DVD计划在2011年发行。其中包含THE OCEAN在柏林Potsdamer Platz的Museum für Musikinstrumente进行一场独一无二的演出。他们会演奏一系列古老的乐器其中包括十六世纪流传下来的羽管键琴,由钢琴家Irakli Mamrikishvili与The Ocean同台演奏这些乐器,同时出场的也会有小提琴演奏家Dalai Theofilopoulou.这场演出将会在DVD中被完整收录.
2013年乐队发行了他们的第六张录音室专辑,2013年9月,他们也将带着全新的音乐再次来到中国!(By New Noise)
The sixth album from German post-metal doombringers the Ocean is huge: Written, recorded, and to-be-played live as a 53-minute work, intended to respresent a sloooow plunge into the darkest depths of the briny deep. In the course of the record, tender piano interludes get stomped on by Mastodon-shaped footprints, lush strings work next to bulldozing double-kick work, and, at the end, the submarine crashes at Melvins tempos
Originally concieved as an instrumental album while vocalist Loïc Rossetti was conquering health problems, the band ultimately recorded a vocal version — and both the vocal and instrumental versions will be packaged together. Says guitarist Jonathan Nido in a statement: "Loïc is the frontman of this band and we all felt that the Ocean and this album needed him, and though we were all quite used to the instrumentals, I'm glad we decided to record vocals in the end, because it really adds a new dimension to the album that was not there before."
The SPIN office, however, actually prefers the instrumentals: take note fans of Isis, Caspian, Pelican, and the Godspeed songs that soundtrack zombie movies. Who needs words when you got actions?
Strap on your wetsuit and follow our stream into the Ocean until Pelagial is released by Metal Blae on April 30.(by Spin )
Epipelagic (instrumental)
Mesopelagic: Into the Uncanny
The light is fading. Everything dissolves in blue. As we become one with what surrounds. Crawl back into the womb… but it's getting colder. There's no comfort in this place even now that we're still so far away. From this point on there's only one direction: down. From this point on all we do is let ourselves sink down until the bottom, until we hit the ground. Sinking towards the unknown inside of ourselves. Towards me and towards you, towards the essence, towards truth. It's getting dark now but I'm still trying to follow you. There is not always a reason but everything can be traced back to a cause, so much is sure. I'm ready to dig it all up but so far there's not much I recognize in your dissection of me. When we're coming close to this familiar place that has not lost its appeal. Fears we need to face: to break out of these cycles we must rebuild this all from scratch. Start all over again. Eyes in the twilight stare at us as we're going down - not alone. There is movement in these depths. There's a place for everything.
Bathyalpelagic I: Impasses
Try to make sense out of what we've been through. And I still justify the things I used to do. I don't believe in nothing - but I believe in you. Take my word and move on. I've chosen to embrace all the things that I cannot change but I'm not sure if this helps to relieve you from bitterness. I wish i could recall every word, everything you said. You're digging in the past: a deep hole that will wolf you down. I've chosen to embrace all the things that I cannot change
but I'm not sure if this helps to relieve you from bitterness. How much control do we have over what we wish for? How much control do we have over what we wish for?
Bathyalpelagic II: The Wish In Dreams
And when the day arrives, I will be petrified. Pressure is increasing with every meter that we sink. But I won't let it get inside of me. We're still too far away to be afraid. I wanted to shape and change them - but it's they who've changed me. I wanted to get on top of them - but they wouldn't let me. They're as elusive as air: as soon as we name them they are gone. Their meaning disappears. Melts like an icicle in the sun. I wanted to shape and change them - but it's they who've changed me. I wanted to get inside of them - but they wouldn't let me in. How much control do we have over what we wish for? How much control do we have over what we wish for? How many decisions we take are rational? How much is intentional?
Bathyalpelagic III: Disequilibrated
We sink through boundless vasts of blue. When we come home at last: you'll see for yourselves how far down into the black these rays can reach. Coming true there is
only what accords with your nature, with your being - of which you know nothing: but it's there, inside of you controlling you til the day you die. How far down into the black can sunlight reach? Low light, our eyes open wide: there's something underneath… So you braced yourself once again. Dread has made you come to your senses. Well, you set everything in motion. A disequilibrated stable state: this is where it all began. Now face the reaction. So you braced yourself once again. Pain has made you come to your senses . Now your life is easy.
Stripped of all responsibility: that's my reward for you.
Abyssopelagic I: Boundless Vasts
We sink through boundless vasts of blue. When we come home, at last: you'll see how silent it is. This must be the most forlorn place in the world. You'll see for yourselves. What about us?
Do you feel anything?
Abyssopelagic II: Signals of Anxiety
Last night I had a dream. I saw her in the distance. She walked towards the sea. She was standing close to the shore. She watched the waves erode. And she said: "You'll understand later". Then she cast a stone into the foam while something occurred to her: something broke in her. Then she disappeared. But things are no longer what they seem. I can't say if it was real.
Hadopelagic I: Omen Of The Deep
(instrumental)
Hadopelagic II: Let Them Believe
I can feel: these circles will always touch in more than one point. Repelled and pulled towards each other: repelled again. Unconditional projection alternates with short, fervid intervals of perfection and boundless bonding - but be sure: trust needs to be reevaluated while our ageing promises turn to plights and their weight and meaning changes. Differing sizes of intersections: territories abandoned, lost and reclaimed. Everything's in constant motion. So let them live with the contradictions between what they call passion and the constraints of our modern living which leave no space for the arational. And most importantly, let them have confidence and peace. Let them be powerless - but most surprisingly they're not afraid of how they'll feel when they come closer. All these restrictions are self-inflicted: let them be helpless. Let them embrace symbols of commitment to compensate for the lack of it. And let them live with their contradictions. What they call passion is just the turmoil caused by repression of their ambitions - let them believe.
Demersal: Cognitive Dissonance
And there was a great earthquake. And the sun turned black as sackcloth made of hair. And the moon became like blood. And the stars of the sky fell to the earth. As a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a mighty wind. And the sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up. And every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth and the great men, and the strong and every free man hid themselves in the caves
And they said to the mountains: "Fall on us, fall down on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne. And from the wrath of the Lamb. For the great day of His wrath has come, and who shall be able to stand?"
Benthic: The Origin Of Our Wishes
We are now on the threshold. Hold your breath and close your eyes. This is what you have been hoping and waiting for all your life. But don't have any illusions: I will not forgive you. And the worst thing is that you won't ever forgive yourself for this. There's no one here. No one can harm them here.
Oh, God...