Reviews
...And Oceans: A.M.G.O.D.
26/09/07 ||
Global Domination
Unquestionably one of Finland’s finest exports, the assorted nutjobs going under the moniker of …And Oceans, despite a relatively short career, were an innovative and wonderfully creative outfit. Top-tier exponents of experimental black metal, these guys evolved from their brilliant symphonic beginnings into a complex entity that added industrial elements smartly into their songwriting, writing some of the most uniquely original black metal I’ve heard to this date. “Allotropic/Metamorphic Genesis Of Dismorphism”, or “A.M.G.O.D.”, thanks Satan for acronyms, was their third effort, and just as the rest of their output, an excellent example of black metal done the right way.
Mixing the fluid, keyboard-madness grandeur of their classic debut “The Dynamic Gallery of T oughts” with some audacious electronic mindfucks, plus the dense wall of noise of their sophomore effort “The Symmetry of I/The Circle of O”, it’s safe to say that …And Oceans came up in “A.M.G.O.D.” with the perfect, natural progression to build on their edgy sound. Possessing an unmistakable oddness to their music, you can’t fail to recognize …And Oceans, and that gentlemen, it’s a hell of a lot more than what you can say about 75% of the bands that play black metal today.
Starting from the foundations of a stellar production rarely seen in the black realm, ...And Oceans proceeds to relentlessly assault the listener’s ears with vicious riffs at blazing speeds, while allowing for strategically placed groovy, eerie or march-like moments. The bass can be felt more than heard, there’s some clarity to it thankfully. The drumming is frantic, sounding almost mechanical in nature, with cascades of blasting that add some degree of mayhem to the mix. The keyboards are extremely accomplished, ranging from the symphonically grand to the electronica-styled beeps, providing an unique twist that makes …And Oceans stand out from the rest of the black hordes perched on this particular branch of the genre. The vocals from Mr. Killstar are as demented and rasping as ever, but curiously one of the elements I most enjoy from the band.
An endearing aspect of their music for me has to be the humor and craziness of their lyrics and their penchant for the tongue twisting. The amazing thing is that the songwriting is so damn good it all sounds very natural. The songs reflect their respective titles and themes in such an accurate way, I’ve seldom witnessed the like. The opener “Intelligence is Sexy” gives you exactly that impression, besides stating something I agree to the fullest, intelligence IS damn sexy! “Esprit de Corps” is an intense as rolling tank; “Tears Have No Name” displays some very groovy rhythm, yet with a nostalgic feel; “Odious & Devious” and “Of Devilish Tongues” evoke an appropriately malignant atmosphere enhanced by sheer violence and somberness; “White Synthetic Noise” has a quality of the exotic and grand, with some cold, blood-chilling moments.
The only complaint I have about “A.M.G.O.D.” is the two instrumentals at the end, which despite being good songs, should have been separated, ‘cause they give me the impression that it all ends on a bit of a downer. “
TBA
in a Silver Box” feels like a natural conclusion to the surreal theme of “Postfuturistika”, and that’s where they could have made the chop and roll the end credits. “New Model World” finishes the record on an excessively electronic note, and despite being a decent song, it feels out of place and way too contrasting.
I can’t do nothing else but recommend this record and pretty much everything …And Oceans ever released as material of the highest quality. “A.M.G.O.D.” is a required listen if you want to appreciate the best that left-field, experimental black metal has to offer. Graced with coherence within the chaos, challenging, and original, this is a band that will appeal to those who expect more from their black metal. Might not work for those grim trolls from the evil frozen forest that scare little girls while wearing corpsepaint and spiked panties. Check it out, enjoy and revel in the unusual, or else go cry like an emo while listening to some kvlt, nekro crap, and complain about what they’ve done to yer purest of the pure black metal, those damn wacky Finns!
8
sexy smartass Finns out of
10
.
- Information
- Released: 2001
- Label: Century Media
- Website:
www.endpointzero.net
- Band
- Killstar: vocals
- Tripster: guitars
- 7even II: guitars
- Atomica: bass
- Plasmaar: keyboards
- Martex: drums
- Tracklist
- 01. Intelligence is Sexy
- 02. White Synthetic Noise
- 03. Tears have No Name
- 04. Esprit de Corps
- 05. Odious & Devious
- 06. Of Devilish Tongues
- 07. Postfuturistika
- 08.
TBA
in a Silver Box
- 09. New Model World
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