Interview by Kris Peters
After a long period of member changes - including around 40 in the first two years of the band - Berlin progressive metal outfit The Ocean have finally had a settled lineup for a prolonged period of time and the results are clearly evident in the consistently high quality of releases enjoyed by the band in recent times.
Following the universal success of the Phanerozoic double release of albums, which was meant to close the conceptual trilogy started on 2007's Precambrian, guitarist and surviving original member Robin Staps found his mind wandering back to that franchise during the writing process for their latest album Holocene, and as such the trilogy was extended by one to make it a four part concept.
Holocene sees the band add a closing chapter to their paleontology-inspired album series, presenting a gear shift towards the electronic world while reaching new depths of heaviness at the same time.
Staps sat down with HEAVY to bring us the latest.
"It has a bit of a different emphasis than previous ones," he began talking about Holocene, "more electronic but still heavy."
With the album coming out back on May 19 we ask Stap how the early reception to Holocene has been.
"It's been quite overwhelming," he smiled. "There's nothing but Holocene in the feed for a week now, and I think people are very enthusiastic about the record. We weren't sure - we're never sure - because each one of our records takes a bit of a different direction while staying true to the essence I hope. We like to challenge ourselves and our listeners and not just repeat the same formula each and every time. You never really know how people will react, so it's always interesting. This one has been exceptionally well and we can't wait to actually play it live."
In the full interview Robin explains the electronic element more and why they have gone down that path, the conclusion of the paleontology inspired album series and what might come next, getting atmospherics in your music and how difficult that is to do, the pressures of a successful album, their upcoming live shows and more.