Being as an Ocean
Death Can Wait


4.0
excellent

Review

by Halez USER (80 Reviews)
February 3rd, 2024 | 48 replies


Release Date: 02/02/2024 | Tracklist

Review Summary: Passion is the only thing that's driving me

It’s easy to write Being as an Ocean off as a has-been that had one good album and got progressively worse as time went on. After all, Dear G-D… is considered their consensus best album, and based on the general reception, it seems like their transition from spoken-word based post-hardcore ala Hotel Books into sort of an Amo-lite on PROXY: An A.N.I.M.O. Story did not endear them to either a new fanbase, or please fans of their early work. Stylistic shifts tend to be a double edged sword, and clearly Being as an Ocean gets that. So, back to the drawing board, and they’re back five years later with Death Can Wait, and from what it looks like, it’s a revert back to their early sound, but not completely.

Joel Quartuccio’s spoken-word passages are back in full force, as emotionally invigorating as they were before. The electronic moments here, obviously retained from the aforementioned PROXY, are used to accentuate the sound rather than be closer to the whole pie. Let’s be clear here; the trademark melodrama the band is known for has not gone away, so if that isn’t what you’re looking for, then I suggest running away faster than Tyreek Hill runs a 40 yard dash into the endzone. Songs like “Gave It a Voice So That My Heart Could Speak” and “Gloom” show Being as an Ocean at their emotional peak, sounding truly gut-wrenching in spots. It’s as if their everyday existence is another apocalypse waiting to happen, and for many of us, that is a cathartic release.

If there’s any major negative, it’s that the overreliance on catchy clean hooks kneecaps the emotional resonance that this album could have. Had it went all-in on the massive doom-and-gloom of something like The Elijah’s I Loved I Hated I Destroyed I Created there’s a chance it could’ve been far more special. But for what they are, the hooks are not bad by any means. After their last album, it’s hard to say that Death Can Wait is anything less than a resounding success. If they can build off this framework, they may finally be able to surpass their debut album. There’s room for improvement, but this is their best foot forward in years.



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user ratings (31)
2.5
average


Comments:Add a Comment 
veninblazer
February 3rd 2024


16921 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

quick little writeup because this album struck a bit of a chord with me emotionally

bellovddd
February 3rd 2024


6779 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

Nice! I am a big fan of this release. I am actually a fan of the choruses and cleans. I've always been a big fan of Michaels voice. Joel smashes it here as well.

veninblazer
February 3rd 2024


16921 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

They're good, but I feel like they're almost forced in on some songs.

Durrzo
February 3rd 2024


3404 Comments


Really wanted to like this, but I barely got through my first and likely only listen.

Tundra
February 3rd 2024


9921 Comments

Album Rating: 3.0

not into this Silent Planet kind of vocal delivery

SheWatchedTheSky
February 4th 2024


77 Comments

Album Rating: 1.5

Another band that should have disbanded like 10 years ago

veninblazer
February 4th 2024


16921 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

eh, if it was PROXY, I would've understood, but this was real good.

JayEnder
February 4th 2024


21129 Comments


I just can't bring myself to care about this band anymore

Beardog
February 4th 2024


5392 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

yeah idk about this one lol

outliers
February 4th 2024


5152 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

could have just ended the review after the first sentence

veninblazer
February 4th 2024


16921 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

y'all are being a bit harsh

Beardog
February 4th 2024


5392 Comments

Album Rating: 2.0

Nah I turned this one off after Gloom. Really didn't like what I'm hearing. However I do have to say I was never a fan of this band.

JayEnder
February 4th 2024


21129 Comments


Even Dear G-d aged somewhat poorly. This band was never that good, but I was admittedly obsessed with them at one point for some reason.

Probably bc they were my ex's favorite band and she made me think they were better than they actually were lol

veninblazer
February 4th 2024


16921 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

I've always liked them idk. Even at their lowest they were decent. But tbf heavy-on-emotion stuff always seems to get me.

bellovddd
February 4th 2024


6779 Comments

Album Rating: 4.0

How We Both Wondrously Perish holds up

Durrzo
February 4th 2024


3404 Comments


Their self titled is the only album that ever grabbed me. Still listen to it on occasion.

JesperL
Staff Reviewer
February 5th 2024


5664 Comments


i burst out laughing as soon as that spoken word bit in the opener hit
also used to love this band but yeah no thanks big yikey etc

gravityswitch
February 5th 2024


2127 Comments


Couldn't get past the third song

Ectier
February 5th 2024


2878 Comments


Did like this band in my younger years but I doubt Ill be able to care enough to check this out. Im a sentence: my memories of this band are probably better than the reality

Comatorium.
February 5th 2024


5205 Comments


One good album is really generous lmao



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