OCEAN

This debut album is something of a revelation. After Sunn O)), we have been left waiting for the next big thing in doom metal. The latest Earth offering Hex, although being one of the strongest contenders for album of the year so far was sadly not metal, and Sunns recent effort while being very good, didnt push the boat out much further than was expected. Where was all the excitement that we managed to muster up for White One and White Two? Well, this album slipped into the cd tray like a dream, and was (is) difficult to remove. Perfectly bridging the gap between the doom rock greats (Earth, Sunn O))), Khanate, The Melvins, Boris) and the illuminated post-rockers (Pelican, early Mogwai, Mono) this really does go somewhere different and dare I say - unique. Although still taking clear pointers from the Sabbath, the 3 tracks included on this cd are absolutely perfect representations of what is great about instrumental rock; epic, sprawling compositions that never once become boring or a chore to listen to, unfolding gradually without resorting to the slow directionless trudge of more recent doom acts. The press release claims this is a cd for fans of molasses, downers, absynth and sloths Id like to add that the cd also goes down well with Belgian beer and Thorntons treacle toffee. This cd is an absolute gem and totally unexpected the first 2000 copies have even been pressed in a luscious thick card sleeve with silver foil embossing; those Important fellows are really treating us. I would wager Here Where Nothing Grows is set to become one of those all-important milestones in the genre yes its THAT good. Dont delay sludge-rockers, grab this before the Ebay hounds get their grubby paws on it! Boomkat.com------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------8/10-Terrorizer--------- ------------------------------------------------------------ ------------------Portland, Maine's Ocean is intent on breaking that mold with their sprawling debut Here Where Nothing Grows. The band has many similarities with doom metal's hall-of-famers, but wrapped in the wall of guitars and desperate, wailing vocals is something more dynamic, recalling both post-rock and black metal. The songs-- there are three, stretched out to a staggering 65 minutes-- don't build as much as slowly and methodically evolve. Transitions happen over the course of several minutes, as the instruments ebb and flow much like the band's namesake. ---Cory D. Byrom--Pitchforkmedia.com---------With Here Where Nothing Grows Ocean perform several balancing acts that make the album both a soon-to-be classic of its genre, a potential crossover, and an evolutionary step forward. Stuck in Portland, Maine (hardly a cultural haven from what I hear) and with the bitter Atlantic crowding the land, its easy to imagine the bleakness of the environment translating into sound. Three slabs of song, each around twenty minutes long, fill the void behind the superb sleek silver-on-black packaging thats put together with all the care and attention thatd be paid to a release on, say, Hydra Head.The songs are, with a few mid-paced riffing excursions along the way, deathly slow. Even so, they exist as actual songs as opposed to lengthy Earth / Sunn O)) style pieces. Where other acts choose their genre path by strictly following paths overpopulated with OTT theatrics, clouds of weed smoke, drones, distortion, or Satanism, theres an epic empty claustrophobic widescreen that permeates this record. They arent afraid to do any of the above in short doses, but their record isnt defined by them. .----Scott McKeating---Stylus Magazine-------------------------------As you delve ever deeper into the ocean, as you near the chasms and underwater volcanoes and light-despising creatures that lurk at the very bottom of the lowest depths, this underwater world reveals itself as something markedly different than what occurs nearer the surface. The virtual absence of sunlight and the extremes of pressure produce flora and fauna that, through the process of natural selection, come to thrive in an area of the planet uninhabitable by all other beings. When this band chose to take the name "Ocean," it is surely these lowest of all depths which the band had in mind.Simultaneously mesmerizing and punishing, this immersion in the lowest depths discloses an uncommon and provocative musical experience." -9/10- - T. Bengtson - UNRESTRAINED! Magazine -----------------------------------"Ocean's full-length debut is a three song, hour-long affair that begs the question, "Can a band play so slow as to make time stop?" The three move at their own speed, but they avoid monotony by the subtle use of dynamics and an excellent sense of mood. Doom is supposed to be grim, and these guys lay that on thick." - Arzgarth - StonerRock.com ---------------------------..