The Ocean -
Anthropocentric (2010)
It's not often a band can release two albums in the same year and them both being brilliant, but The Ocean (sometimes known as The Ocean Collective) have yet again proved that they are no normal band. Just 7 months after the release of their last album,
Heliocentric the band is back and continuing with the tradition of focusing heavily on history and religion. The term 'Anthropocentric' meaning that mankind is the centre of the universe, acts as a great counter point to 'Heliocentric' which of course is the belief that the sun is the centre of the universe. Lyrically (from what I've been able to gather) the album focuses more so on the criticizing the Church and their viewpoint that mankind is the be all end all of everything. I've actually ordered the album from the label so I can read the lyrics because this is an album that I want to dissect further and get into the true meaning behind it. Yet despite their criticism on religion (Christianity in particular) they are at least open to the possibility of something more, the final lyrics on the album even state "Is there something there beyond the world we know?"
Musically it's far heavier than
Heliocentric which focused a bit more on experimentation. That said the band does a wonderful job at blending heavy and melodic to a product that is very inoffensive to non-metal fans. The songs flow into each other so well on my first listen I thought it was all one song with multiple parts. Still there's enough variation to quell any thoughts that the album is incredibly linear, following the same boring formula that plagues so many of the metalcore band's songs. Vocalist Loïc Rossettis German accent can ring a little thick, even during his guttural vocal sections which can distract a little bit from the experience, my mom compared his vocal style to Animal from The Muppets.
In any case if you like post-metal, sludge metal, or progressive metal with intelligent well thought out lyrics that transcend beyond the "religion is the lamezorz" style so many bands settle with than you might want to check out
Anthropocentric and the rest of The Ocean's discography.