Review Summary: Sophomore offering that will either leave you in awe or afflicted with PTSD. For new listeners, it's definitely worth a play-through, for fans vehemently faithful to the sound in "Dear G-d," stay the hell away
The sophomore album of melodic hardcore quintet "Being as an Ocean" shows evolution and maturation, but it doesn't always work out best for this release. While experimentation with new instruments and song structure give Being a new, yet similar, sound, at points it just sounds like the debut album of a whole new band. While this can be good for bands who's career has stalled, it will most likely be off-putting for some fans of the band. Though this album has its hiccups, if you've been a fan of Being as an Ocean, you should check this album out as some moments are truly beautiful and musical, a rarity within some of the metal sub genres.
The most noticeable change within the album is addition of Michael McGough on guitar and clean vocals. Previously performing with "The Elijah" McGough brings new texture to Being's music, although his performances are either hit or miss. The most prominent problem with this addition is that McGough's voice has a "pop" texture, and more effusive style, than any vocals you've heard from the band so far. While sometimes this works beautifully, more often than not when harmonizing with Joel or another member providing background vocals, it sounds like someone edited a new vocalist into Being's songs. This new addition may be hit or miss for me, but the new drummer, Connor Denis, provides a strong performance that brings some new beats while paying homage to the former drummer and staying true to Being's general sound and style.
The new members perform admirably, however, the biggest complaint I have in the "additions" category is the inclusion of synthesized melodies and riffs. This may be new for the band, but it's been done to death in "metal" and gives some strong songs a pop and mainstream feel that just don't seem to fit with the music and demeanor the band has displayed so far. One prominent and unfortunately obvious example is the song "We drag the dead on leashes." While it can be hard to tell if this a synthesizer in action, or grossly overproduced guitar riff, it has the same conclusion either way - a blatant attempt to appeal to a larger audience by bastardizing one's sound. Yes, it's catchy, and yes it's well written, but it's off-putting, especially in comparison with beautiful songs like "mothers," "natures," and "even the dead have their tasks."
New additions aside, the album has evolved in song structure, alternating more so than the last album between clean vocals, spoken word, and Joel's emotive screaming. Furthermore, inclusion of orchestral instruments such as strings, bells, and even a trumpet solo (see "Mothers") gives a deeper ambient texture and quality than can be found in "Dear G-d," in my opinion. Besides the aforementioned qualities, the rest of the album is standard BAAO, providing deep lyrics, excellent instrumentation and exceptional performances on the part of all members. If you listen to any songs from this album, I can't stress "Mothers" and "Natures" enough, the former boasting a jazz style trumpet solo with gorgeous tone and some flutter-tonguing, and the latter showcasing beautifully crafted three part harmonies. Experimentation like this is what will allow Being as an Ocean to evolve, and I'd like to hear more of this type of song writing accompany the traditional BAAO sound. This album may not be for everyone, or even every fan of the band, but it's worth a listen, and personally, it grew (and continues to grow) on me. Check it out.
