Review: “Oceans Above” by The Color Of Rain

Their faces hidden by the hoods of their cloaks, a mastermind and a pair of co-conspirators sat around a wooden table at the back of a tavern hatching a plot in harsh whispers barely heard over the sound of the roaring fire. A sonic exploration of the cosmos, with compositions that take you far away from the dreadful nothingness that we call existence and music set in an expressive dark sound with a deep lying melancholia was proposed by guitarist, song writer and lyricist Gerhans Meulenbeld (Sad State of Decay, Incission, As Empires Fall). Agreed upon that night by drummer, bassist and synth master Floris Velthuis (Asgrauw, Schavot, Meslamtaea, Sagenland) and vocalist and effects Guru Devi Hisgen (Cthulhuminati, Teitan) who also respectively reluctantly agreed to mix and master the abomination. The task at hand not a simple process but one wrapped in brutality and fragility, an eclectic soundscape of Post Black Metal mixed with Progressive and Technical Death Metal forged in the fires of Valhalla…

Given their prior sins of the flesh and fallen, some may consider it simple to imagine what the compositions of The Color of Rain might sound like but the reality is often stranger than the dream as opening cut “Cult Of The Cosmic Flood” evidences. Scalding screamed vocals in true Black Metal style alongside feverish blast beats is one thing. The folk inspired mid section with clean sung vocals in an unhinged diction is by definition quite another. High quality musicianship and dedication to the dark craft is what separates the Yin from the Yang here, the trio having the ability to make the apocalyptic vision come to life with slick transitions while ensuring everything flows nicely together. A spoken word and some almost ethnic originating strings bring “Corrosion Of The Flesh” to life, incantation and then rich melody that circles the drain with Jazz like freedom and flamenco guitars making for something ridiculously opulent with putrid lyrics before the dive into blast beats takes hold once more. Appealing to the open minded like the works of Avant-Garde acts like Imperial Triumphant, how it all fits together is the key because on paper it sounds like a train wreck waiting to happen. Heavy with Marianna Trench depth of lyric “Oceans Above” has that Harakiri For The Sky like melancholia that flirts with Post-Hardcore atmospherics. Sonically bold and brave, the myriad of styles within the one composition is unexpectedly breath-taking, the technical riffage the work of a Wizard drunk with the playfulness of his creations. Psychedelia creeps in with the poetry in motion of “The Guiding Lights To Eden“, Hisgen’s spoken word opening decimated by the throat scraping unclean demonic vocals that follow seconds later.

Purists may turn their collective noses up at this kind of blasphemous creativity and while others speak of creating without borders and boundaries then deliver something that sounds generic, The Color Of Rain have true freedom and produce works of epic quality that transcend and rejuvenate. Once more between the realms of Black Metal, Post Hardcore and Progressive Metal, the vibrancy of the leads in “Translucence” is nothing short of majestic. Floating above delicate and yet intricate melodies, if this was the calling from the void then more would surely follow into the searing fires of Hell. Heavier guitars and rage fuelled vocals inject a lethal dose of venom into the heart of “Pillars Of Creation“, a cut as barbed as it is melodic, finding a balance between order and chaos that feels truly unique. There is no one song that should be heard in isolation here, the quality of the material is such that in order to understand its eccentric and eclectic nature you need to listen to it in full. Sit back, relax and enjoy a cigar and a glass of single malt while contemplating the fate of humanity in the dark and cold recess of the cosmos with this the soundscape. Shimmering like Gold in the cold morning light “Urban Misanthropy” is another sublime piece of work that may not be heavy in the conventional sense but has so much within its confines that it demands the attention. How dare you look away for even a moment? The anticipation of a grand finale isn’t matched here, there is no epic twenty minute gathering of witches at black masses. There is however one final piece of the puzzle in “Darkness Cloaks The Cradle“, a bitter and twisted affair with Hisgen sounding like someone whose sanity is draining away. Brutal, fragile, warm and cold this is nothing short of stunning [9/10]

Track Listing

1. Cult Of The Cosmic Flood
2. Corrosion Of The Flesh
3. Oceans Above
4. The Guiding Lights To Eden
5. Translucence
6. Pillars Of Creation
7. Urban Misanthropy
8. Darkness Cloaks The Cradle

“Oceans Above” by  The Color Of Rain is out 7th November 2023 via Void Wanderer Productions with pre-orders available over at bandcamp.