26th August 2024

Review: “Living Chaos” by Oceano

“The next chapter of Oceano is here. Loud and clear. Enjoy the music and lyrics.” ~ Adam Warren, vocals

Letting the album speak for itself, Adam Warren has gone from being the man with a lot to say for himself to a man of few words. After a near seven year hiatus it is finally time for Deathcore titans Oceano to unleash a sixth studio album in “Living Chaos“, mixed and mastered by Joey Sturgis (Asking Alexandria, Crown the Empire, We Came As Romans). It comes two years after the bands last audio confession, a single in “Mass Produced” that others may have cut adrift as stand alone but instead features on the record having accumulated 1.7 million streams on Spotify alone, over 547k views on YouTube. The promise is of an expansion of their patented deathcore punch with brutal breakdowns and seismic atmospheres…

While we have waited, vocalist Adam Warren, guitarist Scott Smith and bassist Chris Wagner have painstakingly created eight earth shattering tracks with an interlude to continue the legacy of a band that have given us tracks like the bone shattering “District Of Misery“. The sounds of waves lapping on the shoreline for a fleeting moment give pause for thought before Oceano sink their teeth in with “Wasted Life“, a punishing groove laden assault on the senses with ominous moments of dark melody that mean the heavier parts hit that much harder. A vicious breakdown is as expected but a few fleeting clean vocal moments in the finale while a nice touch, feels like a warning. Fortunately there is no epic ballad to follow but instead the pulverising punch in the guts that is “Mass Produced“. A track littered with Tech-Metal riffage and demonic vocals from Warren, it feels like the band rejuvenated and refreshed, fitting perfectly in it’s surroundings despite being two years old prior to the albums appearance. The soaring Progressive Death Metal solo is reminiscent of something that Scott Carstairs might create with Fallujah is mesmerising and beautiful but you knew that already, right?

The Progressive Death Metal leanings continue into “Darkness Rising“, a track which lyrically resonates as Warren exposes his heart and soul, confessing to suffering from depressions and having days where there is no hope. The orchestrated moments add to a deep seated sense of melocholia, however despite the mournful melodic touches, there is no woe is me about it or Nu-Metal introspection. Instead there is a real grit and integrity that leaves you with something that stirs the soul, the insistence on harsh vocals and hard hitting riffs making sure of that. “Into The Flames” keeps the sombre element in place with a delicate lead overlay but punches hard with pulverising Deathcore rhythms. The savage breakdown section hitting downtempo levels of glory as Warren says “no turning back embrace cold Death” in a way which sends shivers down the spine. Repeating the holding pattern stylistically with an ambient programmed underpinning “Wounds Never Healed” is the kind of Progressive Deathcore that leaves scorched earth in its wake. The extremes have pushed out within the Oceano sound but the black heart still beats and by the time this one has closed out Warren reminds that change starts with you, putting a positive slant on the pain.

To call the instrumental interlude “Interlude” feels like it’s been done a disservice because the sombre and sobering soundscape is a lush melodic piece that offers a few minutes respite from those harsh vocals. Thoughtfully put together and perfectly placed within the album, it means the mind is cleansed for the final onslaught, an unholy trinity that starts with “The Price Of Pain“. A lethal dose of furious face melting riffs and pummelling kit work with a couple of funky nuanced moments, it has that undeniable bounce before slowing down in the middle as Warren pulls out some seriously demonic Death Metal lows. The riffs register as seismic activity, while the rumbling bass ploughs a furrow in cranium before title track “Living Chaos” feels like the band have torn a hole in the time space continuum. A haunting hellscape gives the introduction and errie quality that circles back around, sandwiched in between the heaviness that we’ve come to expect since 2009’s “Depths“. The Progressive Death Metal melodies are still there with a majestic soaring solo and the combination of the two styles sit together like they were born to and like Fit For An Autopsy, Oceano have transcended the genre to reach new heights without leaving behind their ferosity. “Broken Curse” completes the collection in menacing fashion with old school Death Metal nuances and some sinister urges underneath the vibrant moments that feel like chinks of light breaking through dark clouds overhead. There are so many little moments spread throughout the album that pop out of the mix over multiple listens that it beggars belief. An evolution of what the band did on 2017’s “Revelation” rather than a revolution, this is Oceano v2.0 and the band at the top of their game, unafraid to innovate in their desire to create… [9/10]

Track Listing