Review Summary: The most consistent ...and Oceans has ever been.
The boys of …and Oceans have been on an absolute tear since their comeback in 2020 with
Cosmic World Mother. They blazed back onto the black metal scene with their harsh Emperor meets bombastic Dimmu Borgir style of symphonic black metal. This album makes a trio since ending their hiatus and
The Regeneration Itinerary harkens back to the glory days of the band.
This album is more experimental than this band has sounded in decades. While the previous 2 albums were more straight up melodic black metal albums with temporary flares of the old experimental ways, this album fully embraces the past. These guys always had a knack for mixing blazing fast meloblack riffage with a sinister electro-industrial sound that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Skinny Puppy album. Opening track Inertiae embraces that to the fullest with an entire section devoted to a circus house of mirrors EDM sound that will give the listener deja vu.
I have to give HUGE props to keyboardist and synth extraordinaire Antti Simonen for the ominous and claustrophobic performance that he puts on here. This entire album sounds like being trapped in a haunted circus where bloodthirsty clowns are hunting down the audience. The riffage is absolutely devastating. Melodic tremolo picking rains from the heavens upon anyone that presses play.
The Regeneration Itinerary is a masterclass on how to mix keyboards with riffs. The way that they play off each other here to ultimately create an atmospheric and engaging full album is incredible. Each individual track feels like a piece to the puzzle. All of the different elements come together to give the listener a cohesive and enjoyable ride into the cosmic pits of hell from where …and Oceans come from.
And I haven’t even mentioned Mathias’ vocal performance yet. This truly might be one of the best in black metal history. The way his epic and decipherable howls soar over the barrage of trems and synths is truly pleasant to listen to. Some vocalists just command attention and Mathias is one of those vocalists. This band has been as consistent as they’ve ever been with him as the frontman and he just continues to elevate this band.
…and Oceans have been around for 3 decades now but they’ve only just started hitting their true peak within the last 5 years.
Cosmic World Mother is my favorite black metal album released in the past 25 years and this album truly may be on par. All of the traits that make this band great are present on this album. The guys sound refreshed and ready to tackle anything in front of them.
The Regeneration Itinerary is another masterpiece by one of the greatest black metal bands of all time.
