Queen City Sounds Podcast S4E27: The Ocean

The Ocean, photo from Bandcamp

The Ocean is an experimental metal band from Berlin formed in 2000. Primary songwriter and guitarist Robin Staps has a constant presence in the group which often operates as a collective with an evolving group of contributors and regular musicians. Its albums are often loose concept albums named after eras of the earth’s geologic history. Though the songs aren’t short on guitar driven heaviness but often employed to create dense and dynamic soundscapes. The most recent album, 2023’s Holocene, saw The Ocean more fully integrating synths and the aesthetics of electronic music into its ambitious compositions with songs that depict scenes from a dystopian near future and with lyrics that demonstrate the impact of the ideas behind The Situationist International and its prescient critique of consumer culture and the deleterious effect of late capitalism on human society and civilization.

Listen to our interview with Robin Staps on Bandcamp and follow The Ocean at the links below.

theoceancollective.com

The Ocean on Instagram

The Ocean on Pelagic Records

Author: simianthinker

Editor, primary content provider for this blog. Former contributor to Westword and The Onion.