“Sunless”

Oceanwake – Photo by Atte Santala

In the twilight zone between doom and post metal resides OCEANWAKE, a broad-minded group of musicians from the small Finnish coastal town of Luvia. They are now set to release their sophomore album ”Sunless”, which will be out on March 13 via Swedish label ViciSolum Productions. Oceanwake’s debut album “Kingdom” already gathered positive reviews, but it’s fair to say that Sunless is on a wholly different level in terms of songwriting. Its four lengthy tracks form a coherent album while still retaining the sense of adventure and also pushing the envelope of what can be considered metal. The album was co-produced by the KORPIKLAANI mainman Jonne Järvelä. He brought in the missing ingredient with his crystal clear mixing that really appreciates the organic and dynamic sound of Oceanwake.

The chief song architect of Oceanwake, Ville-Veikko Laaksonen, explains the story of “Sunless”:

“On ‘Kingdom’ the main character was under water, figuratively speaking, with his hopes and demons. This time around he finally reaches the surface, but only to realize that all hope and images of salvation are a sunless space and escapism gone wrong. Even though he really wants to see a glimpse of something better, his own mind keeps drawing him back to the dark depths.”

Avanturine, the shortest track of the album (still over 8 minutes!) is now available for pre-listening at this location.

To celebrate the release of “Sunless”, Oceanwake will perform the album in its entirety at Bar Kino, Pori on March 13. Prior to this, Oceanwake appears as a special guest of Moonsorrow at Klubi, Lutakko, Jyväskylä (Feb 28).

Voices about Oceanwake:

“Oceanwake skillfully capitalizes on dynamics, dramatics and mood shifts. One moment their music is heavy as lead, the next it’s hovering above the stratosphere. Whatever they do, it’s always executed with a sense of style. ‘Sunless’ rewards those who enjoy long, slow and meandering songs. If you’re into instant radio hits, don’t bother.” – Markus Laakso/Kuolemanlaakso

“Oceanwake know the soundscapes like they know their hometown. The balance between atmospheric and aggressive is quite right. It definitely would not make them any justice to squeeze them into post-this and post-that categories. I’d say this is first-rate buzzing!” – Ville Sorvali/Moonsorrow

“Hell yes! Great and versatile doomy riffings with post-elements. Sunless is definitely a strong album which keeps you inside the world of Oceanwake!” – Jarno Salomaa/Shape of Despair

Oceanwake - Sunless - Artwork

”SUNLESS” TRACK LIST
1. The Lay of a Coming Storm 15:37
2. Parhelion 9:18
3. Avanturine 8:03
4. Ephemeral 10:26

LINE-UP
Eero Haula – vocals
Martti Koski – guitar
Mikko Kulju – drums
Ville-Veikko Laaksonen – guitar
Jarkko Mäkelä – bass

DISCOGRAPHY
Luminous Waves (single 2013)
Kingdom (album, Stygian Crypt 2013)
Nadir (single, ViciSolum 2014)
Sunless (album, ViciSolum 2015)

http://www.facebook.com/OceanwakeFi
http://www.vicisolum.com
http://www.facebook.com/vicisolumproductions

Oceanwake_band_pic

Finnish Doom-/Post Metal act OCEANWAKE has signed a world wide record deal with Swedish label ViciSolum Productions.

The bands debut album “Kingdom” gathered positive, in some cases even raving reviews. It captured very well the essence of their formative years, when they naturally were a new band in search of their own form of expression. In retrospect, “Kingdom” was a compilation of very diverse songs that the band managed to turn into a coherent album.

This time around, with their forthcoming album “Sunless”, that will be released on the 13^th of March 2015 via ViciSolum Productions, the songwriting is far more together but not any less adventurous. Its four lengthy and dynamic compositions are performed in an inspired and versatile manner. And when this is combined with the crystal clear, flawless engineering and production – courtesy of Korpiklaani mainman Jonne Järvelä – it is safe to say that anyone who appreciates an organic full-length album should buy a copy, and give it the undivided time and focus it deserves.

To celebrate this new record deal, an album sessions outtake “Nadir” will be released as a digital single. Not seen by the band as an integral part of the album, with its slightly heavier sound and a straightforward arrangement, “Nadir” is indeed quite different from other material. Nevertheless, it stands out as a great example of the musical diversity and dynamics of Oceanwake.

Oceanwake ”Nadir” streaming HERE.

About Oceanwake:

Oceanwake was established five years ago in a tiny and idyllic Finnish coastal town called Luvia, where all the musicians were born in. Though everyone has since moved away from the town, the somewhat eccentric and unique spirit of Luvia is still strongly present in their music.

It is quite apparent that Oceanwake draws from a wide variety of influences, be it the music, the lyrics or the album artwork – not to mention their live show which features a podium for the vocalist, situated upstage next to the drummer. But what’s more important, they have succeeded in mixing all the ingredients so perfectly that it’s almost impossible to find a specific genre to file them under. There is an indescribable twist in their approach to metal music that it keeps the focus on the music instead of “metal”. It’s melodic, fragile and soothing at one moment but raw, relentless and downright frightening at another. Like a hovering mist on a placid shore in contrast with a raging storm that sweeps across the ocean.

Oceanwake are:
Eero Haula – Vocals
Martti Koski – Guitar
Mikko Kulju – Drums
Ville-Veikko Laaksonen – Guitar
Jarkko Mäkelä – Bass

http://www.soundcloud.com/oceanwake
http://www.facebook.com/oceanwakefi