Winter is the second full-length release from Texas atmospheric metal act Oceans of Slumber. The Century Media signed outfit have a style that certainly has lots of appeal, as soaring female vocals cross with harsh male growls & screams, with textured guitar riffs and epic arrangements drifting and pummeling through the mix. Winter has plenty of light & shade, instantly heard on the excellent opening track "Winter", a gorgeous mix of colorful prog rock and crushing death metal, the soaring, angelic vocals of Cammie Gilbert doing battle with the harsh tones of guitarist Sean Gary in fine fashion. "Devout" is equally as divine, as luscious vocals drift over rampaging blast beats, symphonic arrangements, and blistering riffs. Gilbert's lush vocal style works wonders on the cover of the Moody Blues classic "Nights in White Satin", easily one of the best re-interpretations of this song you'll ever hear, and the endearing "Suffer the Last Bridge" is a gem of atmospheric progressive metal, complete with catchy hooks and crisp instrumentation. Angelic crooning from Gilbert swoons over monstrous power chords on the heavy "Sunlight", while the memorable "Turpentine" has a sort of bluesy/proggy/pop thing going on that's hard to ignore. The growls return for the raging progressive death metal of "Apopologue", as Gilbert & Gary toss their vocal barbs around each other over a pummeling attack of crushing riffage, blazing lead guitar, and intense blast beats. It's easily one of the most extreme songs here and one of the albums highlights. The near 8-minute is another must experience song, a melodic metal symphony that should instantly appeal to fans of Epica or Nightwish.
Though there are 13 tracks on Winter, a handful are short instrumental or vocal interludes, some of which could have perhaps been left on the editing room floor for more cohesive sequencing, but I think the band were going for a sort of concept album feel here so I can see where they were coming from. Overall though this is a very strong release from a band that are sure to get major attention once this hits the streets. Powerful musical arrangements, memorable songs, plenty of variety, and a stunning lead vocalist make Oceans of Slumber a band to put on your immediate radar.
Track Listing
- Winter
- Devout
- Night In White Satin
- Lullaby
- Laid To Rest
- Suffer The Last Bridge
- Good Life
- Sunlight
- Turpentine
- Apopologue
- How Tall The Trees
- ...This Road
- Grace
Printer Friendly Page
Send to a Friend
