Review Summary: Pure suffocation. All hope is lost.
Imagine being stranded at sea. No water, no food, no hope. Eventually the waves surround you as the inevitable feeling of death overcomes you. Soon you find yourself at the bottom of the abyss that is the ocean and it all goes black....
Sure, none of that sounds appealing. But if you like dark music and brooding soundscapes that put you right in the middle of that exact situation, then
V - Oceans by Slow, a one man funeral doom project from Belgium, is just the album for you. This particular album has an atmosphere that is unmatched for me personally. Take one look at the album art and that is the exact sound you get while listening to this. You’re captivated by the calmness of the sea yet the inevitable sense of dread is there as you know it could suck you down without remorse at any second.
Oceans is defined by a few key characteristics. First would be the drawn out and monotonous, yet ultra powerful and absolutely perfect riffs matched with one of the best vocal performance I’ve heard on a metal album in recent years and the driving force behind the massive sound of the album as a whole. The second would be the ambient and drone bits that are just as prominent on this album as the metal is. Sure, at it’s core this is a perfect example of funeral doom, but it’s also much more than that. The keyboards and long droning sections will bring you down from the wave that just crushed you, leaving you in an almost dream like state to dwell on what just happened all before taking you under once again.
Sometimes it’s hard to put into words exactly why you love something or how something makes you feel. For me, this album gives me a feeling like no other. It makes me feel uncomfortable. It makes me feel claustrophobic. It even makes me feel like there’s no hope. And you know what, that’s exactly what it’s meant to do. If getting lost in a specific moment with a specific feeling is something you enjoy, and you also enjoy music at its darkest point, listen to
Oceans. It’ll be sure to leave you cold, wet and defeated. But that’s what you signed up for, so enjoy the ride.
