Oceanic – Trappist (2017)

Following on from their blazing 2014 debut, Nova Scotia’s Oceanic return with their undeniably heavier Trappist. It is perhaps no surprise that the band’s sophomore release, like its predecessor, is nothing short of an epic. The unsubtle difference here is that the band’s darker metal sensibilities, once subtle and subdued, now have a fiery presence.

Trappist’s seven impeccably produced tracks, most clocking over the 6 minute mark as is custom, are laden with wildly imaginative chord progressions with undeniably aggressive overtones. The album begins in typical Oceanic fashion, with ‘Arabic Spring’ delivering groovy yet discordant djent with exquisite precision and prowess. Tracks like ‘Sefīd-Rūd’ introduce experimental and drone textures into Oceanic’s repertoire; and tracks like ‘Emissary’ and ‘Damavand’ bring beautiful but foreboding acoustics. The album finishes in similar fashion to its opening, with
‘Path To Elborz’ shifting from punchy progressive metal to an calmer epilogue of reverberating hypnotic guitar melodies.

This is the next step in Oceanic’s evolution, a darker and aggressive ascent. But it is more than simply garnishing their sound with bit of good ol’ djent; Origin’s transition to heavier territory only helps to strengthen the musical stories they are so good at telling. The long awaited follow up to Origin sees the band at their most imaginative, their most technically proficient, and their most exciting.