Review Summary: Formulated Deathcore=Depths
In a genre that's filled with mediocre...blah, blah, blah. I'll go ahead and skip the overused "deathcore is medicore" intro paragraph, and get straight to the review.
Oceano hails from Chicago, Illinois. While not being one of the biggest bands from the area, from their formation in 2006, they have always been a standout band in the "Windy City". Although they haven't been together long, the band has pushed through a number of accidents and constant lineup changes. For that, I give them props. Where many band's would have thrown in the towel, Oceano stayed at bat.
HOWEVER, when it comes to their freshman release, Depths, my attitude changes completley. Depths is pretty much a by-the-books deathcore release from start to finish. Beginning the album with "Descent", a basic intro, comprised of random noise and a long, chugging breakdown. Not too much to look into there.
"Inhuman Affliction" is the first real song on the album. The song is written fairly well, and ends with a long, but tolerable breakdown.
Next comes "A Mandatory Sacrifice", which is one of the better known songs, due to the fact that it had a video. This song is also fairly good, and also ends with a long breakdown. Noticing a pattern yet? "Samael The Destroyer" is basicly every generic deathcore song ever written. It drags on with a annoying 'chug-chug-chug' formula, and is so chocked full of breakdowns that the entire song is forcibly irritable. Definitly one of the lows for Depths.
With fourteen songs, it's hard to do a track-by-track review, but luckily I don't have to, because at least seven of them are the exact same song. Depths does have a few gems though. "Fractured Frames, Scattered Flesh" is a blazing oddity that shows that Oceano isn't a one-trick pony. It's fast, the riff is decent, and the drums are awesome. "District of Misery" (another well known song due to the video) even shows some atmospheric detail, which is a rarity within itself when talking about this specific genre. Even "Plague Campaign" has a rather cool intro piece, despite it's being another formulated deathcore song.
By far, the high point of Depths is inevitably the instrumental title track, which although full of "chug" parts, is probably the most musically diverse attempt on the record. Other than that, songs like "...With Legions", "Slaughtered Like Swine", and "Involuntary Demoralization" (just to name a few) are almost inrecognizable from each other.
All together, Depths is a fine album if you're really into deathcore. It's full of two-steps, breakdowns, and rather progressive songwriting. While overall the album was considerably formulated, as much of the genre is, the high points of the record show hope that maybe Oceano's second effort will be a step up from this. Maybe...
