Signed to monumental label, Nuclear Blast, before playing a single show, the up-and-coming band are already making themselves heard with their unique sound and message.
Releasing their debut album earlier this year, OCEANS have exploded within the metal scene and are set to become one of the biggest bands of recent years.
Based in both Germany and Austria, the band have already captured the attention of some of the most renowned names in the industry. Receiving excessive critical acclaim with their latest release and galvanising hoards of devoted fans, OCEANS are ones to keep an eye out for.
Sending out a message of hope and perseverance in their sound, the concept of the band is one that is all too relevant for recent years. Tackling issues such as isolation and stigmas around mental illness in their sound, The Sun And The Cold is certainly a fitting record to be released during one of the most tumultuous years in the Twenty-First Century.
Earlier this week, frontman, Timo Rotten, sat down to chat with us about why OCEANS formed, how they captured the attention of thousands in such short span of time, and what the future has installed for them.
Formed back in 2017, OCEANS was built upon experience. With each member being a part of previous bands in the past, OCEANS have managed to put the right foot forward at every turn- learning from previous shortcomings and setting a clear aim with their music.
Intending to provide both a substantial, refined sound alongside an important message, Timo Rotten describes how the members knew exactly what they wanted to achieve with OCEANS and how the band shaped their sound around their past experiences.
He states: “From the beginning, it was clear to us that we want to make music that sends a positive message to people. Even though OCEANS is very dark and very depressing in some parts […] in the end, we want to make sure that we send a positive message.”
“It doesn’t matter how well you play your instrument or how technically-complicated your songwriting is […] what does matter is that you put your own true emotion into the music. If you can manage to do that, people can feel it and people can relate to it. […] That’s the lesson I learned and it took a while!”
Inspired by a multitude of genres including Black Metal, Nu-Metal and Post Rock, there seems to be more of an overall theme for the album than one set sound.
Blending different styles and balancing both a refined, technical sound alongside catchy, emotion-driven riffs, the band have already succeeded in capturing a unique sound that sets them apart from the crowd.
From the unchallenged aggression of tracks such as ‘We Are The Storm’ and ‘Shadows’ to the more sombre, heart-rending ‘Polaris’ and ‘Hope’, the album finds a perfect hybrid of both melancholy and determination- guaranteeing to provide the most entrancing experience when live performances finally begin to reemerge.
As a result of the countless hours of work behind the scenes: singlehandedly mastering social media, capturing a unique sound and releasing their music, the band’s devotion finally paid off, getting signed to the monumental label, Nuclear Blast, before even playing their first live show.
Recalling the moment they received the news, the vocalist describes just how significant that moment was for the band. He says: “it was incredible. […] My biggest dream when I was a teenager and we first started playing music was that one day we would be signed to Nuclear Blast! […] It’s like a dream come true and I am really happy and grateful for all of it.”
As for the future of OCEANS? The band are only just beginning to scratch the surface of their potential.
Labelled by publications such as Blabbermouth as withholding the capability to become the ‘next big thing’ in the metal world, it seems as though the rave reviews of the debut album signify an incredible discography soon to come from the band.
Timo Rotten hints as to what is in the pipeline for OCEANS: “What I hope to achieve is that we can live up to all the praise and expectations that we got with the first album” he states.
“[The next album] definitely won’t be anything totally different because we spent three years working on the whole concept for the band […] There are two ways as a musician to reach your listeners… you can either talk to their brains or you can talk to their hearts. I think that what we do is talk to peoples hearts… that’s what I prefer and that’s what I want to do with our music.”
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The Sun And The Cold is out now via Nuclear Blast Records and available on all streaming platforms.
To read the full interview with Timo Rotten, check out the full transcript here!
Beneath the Surface 