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Another stunning album by one of the undergrounds most overlooked acts.-
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| Oceans of Night: Domain |
Ambience, Progressive Metal
Self-release
November 14th, 2011
- Domain - 17:27
- Don't Look to Me - 5:10
- So Near yet So Far - 5:25
- Dreams in Artificial Sunlight - 3:32
- Divisions of Time - 5:17
- Seven Days of Rain - 6:11
- The View to You - 8:27
- Instruments of Fear - 4:15
- The Future Remembered - 4:19
- Ghosts of the Past - 4:25
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| Review Information |
Release length: 1:04:24
Review posted on December 20th, 2011
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| | Overall Score: 8.5/10 |
 
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| Discography |
Discography covers all information available up to day of review and is updated if future albums are reviewed. |
| Full-Length(s): |
The Shadowheart Mirror (2009) • Domain (2011)
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| Review |
Oceans of Night is a two man project featuring Scott Mosher, known for his solo material, behind all the instruments, while Scott Oliva handles vocals, also known for the solo Scott Mosher project among other bands such as Wind Wraith and The Nightmare Stage. Together, the duo set out to conquer listener's senses with the follow-up to their debut release, The Shadowheart Mirror. With the title of the album Domain those familiar with each member's works, or the previous album, already know what to expect. But, does this largely unknown Progressive Metal act have what it takes to venture out further on their own?
Boasting and sharp, clear audio quality, Domain has no problems making listeners believe this band is actually on a well known record label. The keyboards often take the center stage, really focusing on driving home a strong Ambience to the music to establish the proper tones and atmosphere for the release. This crucial element of the music comes through perfectly against the heavier, slightly louder guitars that give a deeper, more aggressive tone to the music, working with the bass to really hammer home a hard and heavy Metal experience that perfectly compliments the synths. The drumming here seems to follow along with the rhythm that is laid out by the keyboards, and never really goes too crazy or over-the-top. There's the sense that they are being restrained, but in a good way. The kit itself has a pretty loud presence, about the same as the keyboards, and also is pretty sharp in the mix with the cymbals sounding natural against echoing, often distant sounding snares, and bass kicks that have a nice higher pitched thud to them.
It becomes pretty clear as "Domain" kicks in that Oceans of Night really has a good Nevermore influence to it. But, in no way does this album feel like a blatant rip off. Much of that can be found in a subtle manner musically, as well as how the grand-sounding vocals are handled, trying to bring in a bit of an epic, over-the-top style of clean singing similar to that group. But this doesn't become important to the listener until much later in the start of the album. "Domain" itself is a nearly seventeen and a half minute track, which is a very gutsy move for many bands, and it usually doesn't work out for them. However, given the additional atmosphere set from the keyboards, it's almost impossible to not be swept up during the start of the track thanks to the Ambience being incorporated into it. The build to the music from here is a long task, but it's one well worth undertaking as the slower song begins to develop in your brain, evolving slowly with an astral-atmosphere that feels sleek, dark, and even a little unsettling. The distorted clean vocals here do feel a little out of place, but can be ignored given that environment the music finds itself in. There's no filler material to be found here either, hosting a great deal of variety thanks to the Ambience of the keyboards and the general solid transitions in the music itself, such as around the half way mark when the music begins slowing back down to include whispered vocals and more synths that add to the atmosphere, holding it's own for quite a while before the song hammers back in with a solid transition of heavy guitars and a headbang-worthy trance-enducing beat.
After such an exquisite track, there's really no need to go on honestly, but yet there's still so much more ahead. The rest of the material isn't necessarily as atmospherically driven in the same manner the ambient elements of "Domain" were, but there's no denying the darker and stylish sound that comes from the many songs after. "Don't Look to Me" brings in a slower pace once more, having more grand music than anything else, and overall the song does a great job balancing out the Progressive Metal and the Ambience. However, the only problem here becomes how the chorus is handled. There's too many layers going at once with too little a variation among them to really have them make sense or not slowly become one voice. It eventually starts to sound a bit monotone, and becomes a little too much for the track. Thankfully, this issue is one of the very few that anyone will ever have with the album. Even the instrumental track "Dreams in Artificial Sunlight" doesn't seem to falter in any way, really laying on the Progressive Metal sound with a long build up that lasts basically the whole song. When the track finally does kick in, it's a sigh of joyful relief to reach the tension-built conclusion that fades out into the same heartbeat that started things off, and is so quickly cut off like the song itself. It would be nice to hear more of the song, but the feeling you get from the track by the time it's done is proof enough that the band did what they intended to do with it among the just over three and a half minutes of life.
"Seven Days of Rain" is another track that truly stands out from the post-"Domain" material. The song pushes the keyboards further then in other songs, though in a more traditional background sound to establish a sleeker atmosphere to the track. It acts more in a manner to fill the music and make it more solid, which it does very well. The music from the other instruments is not the most spectacular or intricate, but it's slower pace and simpler material really sets up a softer, laid back tone to the song despite the loud and crushing guitar distortion used. Many of the bridges here really do feel drawn out, but for good reason. This allows the atmosphere to grow through using less chords and drums, and when they do some in, they are clearly designed to push the environment a lot further then the keyboards can do themselves. The guitar solo towards the end takes full advantage of this, building up slowly to a strong, space-driven sound that continues even when the song fades out. Sadly, you can't help but want the song to continue from here, and there more then likely was a lot more life left in the song, but it was just ended too soon. But it does give way to the longer "The View to You," a strong track that seems to bring in a bit of a Goth Metal touch and a beat that will immediately have the listener's head banging along to the rhythm.
It's actually not until "Instruments of Fear" that the band really just lays into some heavier material. Thanks to a nice transition between "The View to You" into this song, "Instruments of Fear" just hammers away at the listener with crushing guitars and bass that give off a nice beat and really hammers down with a solid instrumental intensity. The only problem once can have is how out of nowhere it just comes in from. There's no warning or build up to it, the song just kicks right in. The lack of the keyboards and atmosphere derived from them is a bit disheartening too, and even when taken into context with the track before and after, the song doesn't really feel like it fits in, causing some friction in the flow of the release. And from here, Domain starts to get a little odd. "The Future Remembered" is a heavily ambient piece that really departs from the Progressive Metal sound, a stark contrast to "Instruments of Fear" that almost gives an eighties synth sound to it one might hear in a science fiction or horror film similar to that time period. The song itself really isn't the most awe-inspiring, but it does have a strong atmosphere to it. The vocals do kick in towards the end when the song is built up a little more, but only for a little while as the track quickly comes to an end. Finally we're given "Ghosts of the Past," which actually takes on a bit of a Progressive Rock sound, but in an Industrial/Electronic sense that may remind listeners to bands like Orgy. It's not a bad track, but the different vocals with the echo effect really change the tone of the song that it doesn't quite fit the atmosphere being given off by the music.
Domain is a fantastic album for an unsigned band, and an exceptional follow-up to the group's debut. However, it's pretty obvious that the release has a few issues. The worst offender of them all is the issue of songs fading out when you think they are just getting good. Rarely can you ever discover a band who writer shorter material and honestly wish they would draw the songs out and make them longer, and after Oceans of Night spoils their listeners from the start with the title track, it's almost hard not to listen to this album wanting just that. In the end it was a gutsy move that ended up backfiring due to the quality and talent the group brought with them into that song. If you like Progressive Metal of any kind that is well orchestrated and has a solid atmosphere behind it, then Oceans of Night is a band you simply need to check out. This overlooked group pulls over an hour of quality material that, even with all it's faults, still sounds better then many of the Progressive bands walking around under bigger labels today.
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Physical review copy of this release provided by:
Oceans of Night. |
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