Release Date: May 4, 2018
Few albums still feel relevant, fresh and contemporary-sounding, 10 years after their original release. THE OCEAN’s Precambrian, originally released in November 2007, is such a case: the band’s musically most mature and versatile album to that date, Precambrian is an album distinguished by complex yet intimate songwriting, huge orchestrations, subtle electronic textures and immense harmonic and dynamic density. With guests appearances by Caleb Scofield (Cave In, Old Man Gloom), Nate Newton (Converge, Doomriders), Tomas Hallbom (Breach), Eric Kalsbeek (Textures) and musicians from the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Precambrian remains a career-defining milestone for the band, and still a fan’s favourite.
While THE OCEAN have been focusing on their latest album Pelagial on recent tours, the band is planning to revisit Precambrian with a few select 10th anniversary shows in 2018 — and possibly even more than that: “There is a gap between ‘Precambrian‘ and ‘Heliocentric‘, both conceptually and musically… and it’s a tempting idea to fill that gap with a new album, that would connect the two”, Robin Staps comments.
The 10th anniversary edition comes with a brand new studio re-recording of 10-minutes opener Rhyacian, featuring the current lineup with Loic Rossetti on vocals, Paul Seidel on drums and Mattias Hägerstrand on bass.
• 3 LPs in 3 different vinyl colour style
• same packaging as the original ltd. edition: gatefold with an extra thick spine, diecut holes, special metallic inks, UV spot gloss varnish
• printed inner sleeves, 2 inlays
• download code
“Epic in scope and flawless in execution, “Precambrian” reinforces The Ocean as one of the most exciting names in modern heavy music. Behold mind-blowing metal on a wagnerian scale” – Rock Sound (UK), 9/10
“Full of cinematic breadth and orchestral majesty, it’s easy to get lost in the album’s 80 minutes of rhythmic sea changes and powerful riffing. The Ocean excel in their idiosyncratic nuances and hammering insistence on this Teutonic paean to Earth’s geology” – Revolver (USA), 4/5
“Ambitious and epic, dense and orchestral, the latest album from Germany’s premier thinking man’s metal collective The Ocean features a dizzying array of musical and vocal styles, from Mastodonian prog jags and Fear Factory jackhammer blasts to ethereal electronics and florid classical instrumentations” – AMP (USA), 4/5
“… engrossing to the point where words don’t necessarily matter: The Ocean do for earth science class what Mastodon did for Melville: make learning brutal” – Decibel (USA), 9/10
“An ape-sized thorn to religious types who believe Earth is 2000 years old. Badalamenti-inspired passages and heaps of classical instrumentation finding a healthy home during the ascents and descents of crooned dark rock, Mr. Bungle-playfulness, Neur-Isis dirges and DEP/NIN electronica. Astounding work.” – Terrorizer (UK), 9 /10
