On Thursday, March 25th at 12PM PST//3PM EST//8PM CET, THE OCEAN will host a special livestream show, featuring a performance of 2018’s Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic in its entirety!
The Ocean comments: “We will be performing ‘Phanerozoic I’ in its entirety on Thursday, March 25, 8PM CET – streamed live from Pier2, a shipyard in the port of Bremen, Germany. Please join to make this evening special – it will be a show without any audience in the live room. We’ll be playing for you guys at your homes, wherever they are. After more than a year of absence from playing music, we’re stoked to be getting back together to rehearse and perform – even more so, because we have a new space which we are currently transforming into our own recording studio. This is the beginning of a new era for us. We’ve battled against the inertia of 2020 with writing a whole bunch of new material, and the result is that we’ve got 2 new albums ready to record once the construction work is done. For now, there are no plans to make this available online after the event, nor to do this again, so don’t miss out on this. If this goes well, we’ll promise to do something for ‘Phanerozoic II‘ a bit later in the year. ;)”
Purchase your ticket at: club100-bremen.de/the-ocean. Ticketholders will be able to replay the full stream for 48 hours from the start of the show.
Last year, The Ocean released the follow-up to Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic: Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic – the band’s most successful album to-date, with the highest chart entries in their history (including a phenomenal Top 10 entry in the Official German Album Charts!). Tracked in Iceland, Spain and Germany and produced by esteemed studio guru Jens Bogren, Phanerozoic II is underpinned by some of the most imaginative and challenging music that The Ocean have made yet. Divided into two sections – Mesozoic and Cenozoic – the album once again showcases the detail and depth that have become two of The Ocean‘s most enduring trademarks. Stream and purchase the record now here: metalblade.com/theocean
The Ocean recently released their 8th full-length album via Metal Blade Records (CD / digital) and the band’s own Pelagic Records (vinyl); Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic is their most successful album to date with the highest chart entries in the band’s history, including a phenomenal Top 10 entry in the Official German Album Charts.
Now, the band is releasing a stunning tour documentary from their 2019 Siberian Traps tour, which the band shot themselves. Presented by CVLT Nation, it can be viewed at: cvltnation.com
Robin Staps comments: “One of the greatest adventures with this band was the 5 weeks ‘Siberian Traps’ tour last summer, which started in Belarus, Armenia and Georgia, then took us on a 10.000km ride from St. Petersburg to Vladivostok, all across Russia and Kazakhstan from west to east, before concluding in Japan. We lived on trains for weeks. We had to leave half of our gear behind at the airport of Nur-Sultan, Kazachstan. We experienced the solitude of lake Baikal, the solemnity of Armenian monasteries, the exuberance of Georgian hospitality and the silent anonymity of Shibuya crowds. Some of these moments were captured on film, by band members. We had no camera guy with us, nor any crew: this tour was just us. Our sound guy had second thoughts and bailed a week before the tour. Alex Kraudelt compiled these self-made snapshots into a silent documentary, after our return home. We found the instrumental version of ‘Triassic’ to be the perfectly fitting soundtrack: also because parts of it were recorded during our one week stay in Yerevan, Armenia with traditional flutes and woodwinds player Hayk Karoyi Karapetyan, whom you will see in the opening and closing section of the film. The song itself was inspired by my own backpacking trips through the Middle East 15 years ago, long before the current wars ravaged the region.”
Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic can be streamed and purchased here: metalblade.com/theocean
Tracked in Iceland, Spain and Germany and produced by esteemed studio guru Jens Bogren, Phanerozoic II is underpinned by some of the most imaginative and challenging music that The Ocean – completed by drummer Paul Seidel, keyboard maestro Peter Voigtmann, bassist Mattias Hagerstrand and guitarist David Ramis Åhfeldt – have made yet. Divided into two sections – Mesozoic and Cenozoic – the album once again showcases the detail and depth that have become two of The Ocean‘s most enduring trademarks. While ostensibly delving into the extraordinary realities of the Earth’s shifting temporal tides, Staps and his comrades have long drawn hazy parallels between their chosen subjects and the emotional experiences that their music strives to convey. Phanerozoic II is essentially an album about time, with some very poignant and pointed allusions to the modern world woven into the new music’s spiritual fabric.
Staps explains, “The outcome is a record that is a real journey. It starts in one place, and concludes in a totally different place. In a way, it relates to 2013’s ‘Pelagial‘, which was similar in that it was also a journey: but a more guided, focused and predictable one. ‘Phanerozoic II‘ on the other hand is closer to the experience of free fall.”
On September 25th, The Ocean will release their 8th full-length, Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic, via Metal Blade Records (CD / digital) and the band’s own Pelagic Records (vinyl). In 2018, THE OCEAN released Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic – the first half of a sprawling but superbly cohesive paleontology concept album. Now, the group is ready to release the eagerly-awaited concluding parts of the Phanerozoic journey.
For a preview of Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic, a video for the new single “Pleistocene” (directed by Craig Murray) can be viewed at: invisibleoranges.com – alongside an exclusive interview with guitarist Robin Staps!
The previously released singles – “Jurassic | Cretaceous” (featuring Katatonia‘s Jonas Renkse) and “Oligocene” – can be heard at: metalblade.com/theocean, where Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic can also be pre-ordered in various formats.
Widely hailed as their finest work to date, Phanerozoic I brimmed with moments of wide-eyed melodic brilliance, alongside the expected warping and weaving of post-metal conventions. “The first part of ‘Phanerozoic‘ really is a ‘no-regrets’ album, which is quite rare,” says guitarist Robin Staps. “Maybe even the first time I can ever say that.”
In contrast with the compositional directness of Phanerozoic I, the new album – Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic – is a vastly more progressive and perverse piece of work. “‘Phanerozoic II‘ is more experimental, more eclectic in musical style and direction, and more varied in terms of tempos, beats, guitar work and the use of electronics,” notes Staps. “This was an intentional choice: we wanted Part I to feel rather streamlined and to have a strong cohesion between the individual songs. We wanted to create a certain vibe to linger from the first until the last note throughout the whole record. We kept the weirder, more daring and more progressive material for Part II.”
Tracked in Iceland, Spain and Germany and produced by esteemed studio guru Jens Bogren, Phanerozoic II is underpinned by some of the most imaginative and challenging music that The Ocean – completed by drummer Paul Seidel, keyboard maestro Peter Voigtmann, bassist Mattias Hagerstrand and guitarist David Ramis Åhfeldt – have made yet. Divided into two sections – Mesozoic and Cenozoic – the album once again showcases the detail and depth that have become two of The Ocean‘s most enduring trademarks. While ostensibly delving into the extraordinary realities of the Earth’s shifting temporal tides, Staps and his comrades have long drawn hazy parallels between their chosen subjects and the emotional experiences that their music strives to convey. Phanerozoic II is essentially an album about time, with some very poignant and pointed allusions to the modern world woven into the new music’s spiritual fabric.
Staps explains, “The outcome is a record that is a real journey. It starts in one place, and concludes in a totally different place. In a way, it relates to 2013′s ‘Pelagial‘, which was similar in that it was also a journey: but a more guided, focused and predictable one. ‘Phanerozoic II‘ on the other hand is closer to the experience of free fall.”
On September 25th, THE OCEAN will release their 8th full-length, Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic, via Metal Blade Records (CD / digital) and the band’s own Pelagic Records (vinyl). In 2018, The Ocean released Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic – the first half of a sprawling but superbly cohesive paleontology concept album. Now, the group is ready to release the eagerly-awaited concluding parts of the Phanerozoic journey.
For a preview of Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic, a video for the new single “Oligocene” (filmed by band members Loic Rossetti, David Ahfeldt and Robin Staps, plus edited and animated by Craig Murray) can be viewed below:
The video was shot in the Aragats mountains in Armenia, during the band’s “Siberian Traps” tour in the summer of 2019, which brought them to Russia, Kazachstan, Armenia, Georgia and Japan. “We found this place by accident: the dilapidated ruins of a soviet observatory & research station for cosmic radiation,” comments guitarist and founding member Robin Staps. “The building itself looked like a spaceship that had crash-landed up high in the mountains, but there were lots of interesting structures scattered across the landscape: concrete cubes, underground tunnels, rusted machinery, fallen power poles and watchtowers. It all looked like taken straight out of Andrej Tarkovsky’s ‘Stalker’ movie,” concludes Staps, referring to the ingenious classic that was also the backbone of The Ocean‘s 2013 album Pelagial.
The instrumental track was written by drummer Paul Seidel, but recorded with synth player Peter Voigtmann on drums. It serves as a transitional track from the busy and heavy first half of the record (Mesozoic) into the more relaxed, spacious and cold ambient vibes prevailing on the second half of the record (Cenozoic).
For a preview of the Mesozoic part of the album, the previously released track, “Jurassic | Cretaceous” (featuring Katatonia‘s Jonas Renkse), can be heard at: metalblade.com/theocean – where Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic can also be pre-ordered in various formats.
In contrast with the compositional directness of Phanerozoic I, the new album – Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic – is a vastly more progressive and perverse piece of work. “‘Phanerozoic II‘ is more experimental, more eclectic in musical style and direction, and more varied in terms of tempos, beats, guitar work and the use of electronics,” notes Staps. “This was an intentional choice: we wanted Part I to feel rather streamlined and to have a strong cohesion between the individual songs. We wanted to create a certain vibe to linger from the first until the last note throughout the whole record. We kept the weirder, more daring and more progressive material for Part II.”
Tracked in Iceland, Spain and Germany and produced by esteemed studio guru Jens Bogren, Phanerozoic II is underpinned by some of the most imaginative and challenging music that The Ocean – completed by drummer Paul Seidel, keyboard maestro Peter Voigtmann, bassist Mattias Hagerstrand and guitarist David Ramis Åhfeldt – have made yet. Divided into two sections – Mesozoic and Cenozoic – the album once again showcases the detail and depth that have become two of The Ocean‘s most enduring trademarks. While ostensibly delving into the extraordinary realities of the Earth’s shifting temporal tides, Staps and his comrades have long drawn hazy parallels between their chosen subjects and the emotional experiences that their music strives to convey. Phanerozoic II is essentially an album about time, with some very poignant and pointed allusions to the modern world woven into the new music’s spiritual fabric.
Staps explains, “The outcome is a record that is a real journey. It starts in one place, and concludes in a totally different place. In a way, it relates to 2013′s ‘Pelagial‘, which was similar in that it was also a journey: but a more guided, focused and predictable one. ‘Phanerozoic II‘ on the other hand is closer to the experience of free fall.”
On September 25th, THE OCEAN will release their 8th full-length, Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic, via Metal Blade Records (CD / digital) and the band’s own Pelagic Records (vinyl). In 2018, The Ocean released Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic – the first half of a sprawling but superbly cohesive paleontology concept album. Now, the group is ready to release the eagerly-awaited concluding parts of the Phanerozoic journey.
For a first preview of Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic, the new single, “Jurassic | Cretaceous” (featuring Katatonia‘s Jonas Renkse), can be heard at: metalblade.com/theocean – where the record can also be pre-ordered in various formats.
Widely hailed as their finest work to date, Phanerozoic I brimmed with moments of wide-eyed melodic brilliance, alongside the expected warping and weaving of post-metal conventions. “The first part of ‘Phanerozoic‘ really is a ‘no-regrets’ album, which is quite rare,” says guitarist Robin Staps. “Maybe even the first time I can ever say that.”
In contrast with the compositional directness of Phanerozoic I, the new album – Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic – is a vastly more progressive and perverse piece of work. “‘Phanerozoic II‘ is more experimental, more eclectic in musical style and direction, and more varied in terms of tempos, beats, guitar work and the use of electronics,” notes Staps. “This was an intentional choice: we wanted Part I to feel rather streamlined and to have a strong cohesion between the individual songs. We wanted to create a certain vibe to linger from the first until the last note throughout the whole record. We kept the weirder, more daring and more progressive material for Part II.”
Tracked in Iceland, Spain and Germany and produced by esteemed studio guru Jens Bogren, Phanerozoic II is underpinned by some of the most imaginative and challenging music that The Ocean – completed by drummer Paul Seidel, keyboard maestro Peter Voigtmann, bassist Mattias Hagerstrand and guitarist David Ramis Åhfeldt – have made yet. Divided into two sections – Mesozoic and Cenozoic – the album once again showcases the detail and depth that have become two of The Ocean‘s most enduring trademarks. While ostensibly delving into the extraordinary realities of the Earth’s shifting temporal tides, Staps and his comrades have long drawn hazy parallels between their chosen subjects and the emotional experiences that their music strives to convey. Phanerozoic II is essentially an album about time, with some very poignant and pointed allusions to the modern world woven into the new music’s spiritual fabric.
Staps explains, “The outcome is a record that is a real journey. It starts in one place, and concludes in a totally different place. In a way, it relates to 2013′s ‘Pelagial‘, which was similar in that it was also a journey: but a more guided, focused and predictable one. ‘Phanerozoic II‘ on the other hand is closer to the experience of free fall.”
Germany’s premier post-metal act, THE OCEAN, is returning to North America this spring for a special tour with progressive metal titans INTRONAUT, reported Metal Blade! Presented by Metal Injection, the trek also features sludge metal trio NORTH as openers. See below for all dates – with additional headlining USA dates with The Ocean coming soon!
The Ocean will be touring in support of their recent split EP Transcendental with Japanese post-rock legend Mono, as well as in support of their critically acclaimed last album, Pelagial (2013), which was hailed as the group’s “most ambitious record to date” (HeavyBlogIsHeavy.com). Over the course of the crushingly massive 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” (Spin.com). To purchase Pelagial, please visit: indiemerch.com
Metal Injection Presents:
The Ocean tour dates w/ Intronaut and North
Mar. 15 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Roxy
Mar. 16 – San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick
Mar. 17 – Mesa, AZ @ Nile Underground
Mar. 18 – Albuquerque, NM @ Launchpad
Mar. 19 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theatre
Mar. 20 – Lawrence, KS @ Aftershock
Mar. 21 – Ft Worth, TX @ Tomcats
Mar. 22 – Austin, TX @ Dirty Dog
Mar. 23 – Houston, TX @ Walters
Mar. 24 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
Mar. 25 – Tampa, FL @ Orpheum
Mar. 26 – Jacksonville, FL @ 1904 Music Hall
Mar. 27 – Charlotte, NC @ Rabbit Hole
Mar. 28 – Washington DC @ Rock And Roll Hotel
Mar. 29 – New York, NY @ Marlin Room at Webster Hall
Mar. 30 – Boston, MA @ Middle East
Mar. 31 – Montreal, QC @ Bar Le Ritz
Apr. 1 – Toronto, ON @ Lee’s Palace
Apr. 2 – Detroit, MI @ Loving Touch
Apr. 3 – Chicago, IL @ Reggies Rock Club
Apr. 4 – Minneapolis, MN @ Skyway Theatre
Apr. 5 – Winnipeg, MB @ Goodwill
Apr. 6 – Regina, SK @ Exchange
Apr. 7 – Edmonton, AB @ Skylite
Apr. 8 – Calgary, AB @ Dickens
Apr. 9 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theatre
Apr. 11 – Seattle, WA @ Crocodile
Apr. 12 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre
Apr. 13 – San Francisco, CA @ Bottom Of The Hill
