Customer Ratings & Reviews

Oceano- Depths Release Date: April 7, 2009 Rating: 84/100 Introductory: I have listened to Oceano for about a year, and I started to listen to them after it was rumored that they were disbanding. Luckily, that was not true, they were merely on hiatus. I discovered them by using Pandora by searching "Whitechapel." I heard a few of Oceano's songs, and I searched up this album, Depths and listened to it, and I have been a fan of Oceano ever since! They are frequently compared to Whitechapel, however, I have not yet given a Whitechapel album a full listen yet. I am eagerly awaiting info on the release of Oceano's next album due early 2013, and they are currently on tour. As always, I do not support the general message given in the lyrics, I am merely judging the music quality. Album Review: In "Depths," Oceano delivers a heavy-hitting aggressive melody that can rival even the best deathcore releases. Through most of their songs off of "Depths," they offer a destructive intro, often times featuring blistering guitar riffs, that leads to a melodic finality. Oceano releases by far the most brutal album releases with lyrical composition that can be labeled as the "Edgar Allen Poe" of their genre. Oceano's music is dark and thrilling, full with energy and destruction. One of my favorite things about the album "Depths" is its length: most deathcore releases tend to only be 30-40 minutes long, but Oceano delivers a full hour-long blasting of brutality. And each song isn't a definite repeat of the previous- Oceano is able to develop enough uniqueness in each song to make them enjoyable. Oceano has definite potential to become the biggest band in their genre if they continue releasing albums of the same calibre. Song Reviews: "Descent" is the intro track for "Depths" and is basically a minute long intro to the next song, "Inhuman Affliction." It serves as a good intro and sets up the theme and tone for the album, a dark, deep abyss. "Inhuman Affliction" (9/10) starts off with a relentless drum solo, and Adam begins to 'sing', giving you full on what to expect in the album, mostly 'pig squeals.' At the 1 minute mark, the song has a breakdown that adds more 'character' or variety to the song. Another breakdown featuring drums and a vicious guitar riff initiates near the 2 minute mark. The last minute of the song uses excellent instrumentals in conveying the title of the album, "Depths", and does well in ending the song. The song is about torture, as the title might suggest, but this is impossible to tell without a lyric sheet. Upon examination of the lyrics, it is easy to tell that they are horrendous, and Oceano's excellent lyrical composure, yet horrifying, provides well to fueling the brutality of the album. "A Mandatory Sacrifice"(8/10) is what you come to expect from a typical Oceano song. I'm general, Oceano leaves little room for an intro in their music, they tend to start right up, giving their album a more continuous, flowing, feel to it. So far, all of the songs slow down in the last 50 seconds and lend themselves to the slow guitar riffs and drums, giving a satisfactory explanation of why the album is titled "Depths." "Samael the Destroyer"(10/10) starts off with a very short drum solo, and then leads to the song itself. The pounding guitar riffs near the minute mark add well to the sound of the song, and half a minute later, Adam growls the most brutal growl of the album. The guitar leads to a breakdown and the drums are continuously used. The song concludes with a very melodic guitar riff, making this song one of the heaviest songs in the album, and the most melodic song of the album. “Samael the Destroyer” is without a doubt my favorite song in the album, exactly for that reason. "Fractured Flames, Scattered Flesh"(7/10) is one of the shorter songs of the album, and starts off quickly, as most Oceano songs do. The guitar riffs near the 1 minute are the signature of this album and provide for familiar listening. "Disgust for Your Kind"(8/10) start off with a guitar riff that leads to the fierce pounding of the drums. The bass guitar in this song is particularly notable, giving the song a unique melodic feel. In general, the dynamics of this song are similar to the first few songs off the album. "Depths"(10/10), the title song of the album, is, in short, a 6 minute instrumental interlude to the album. I feel that all music listeners can come to like this song; it is excellently manufactured, and conveys the theme of the album well. It is also exceptionally melodic, and serves the album well. "District of Misery"(10/10) delivers a crushing guitar riff at the start accompanied by the pounding drums. Adam's vocals are particularly destructive throughout this song. The synthesized part near the middle of the song is memorable and the chugging guitars help to accompany it. Unlike other songs in the album, this song slows down little at the end, and is the only song in the album to lead into the consecutive song. "With Legions"(8/10) is a fitting follow-up to "District of Misery." This song has a little bit longer of an intro and a little bit more instrumentals in comparison to the other songs on the album. The song closes with a melodic finale. "Slaughtered Like Swine"(8/10) is one of the least melodic songs and fast paced of the album, and this is quickly shown. The use of drums is particularly notable throughout the song and sets this song apart from the others fairly easily. "Empathy for Leviathan"(7/10) puts to use the plunging guitars within the first minute well. Throughout the song, the guitars are used a bit differently than normally used. This song in particular uses multiple breakdowns, as to be expected of a deathcore release. "Plague Campaign"(9/10) is the longest song on the album with vocals. It features the “ding” sound occasionally heard on some metalcore/deathcore releases then jumps into Adam’s vocals, and then to a melodic interlude provided by the bass guitar. Towards the halfway point of the song, the song increases pace and the guitars play a larger role then they typically do in the album. The last minute and a half is the typical breakdowns that occur in an Oceano song, however they break into a guitar solo that suits the song well. The last 20 seconds of the song feature the bass guitar featured earlier, leading into the next song, Abysm, an instrumental piece. “Abysm”(9/10) is essentially a shorter version of “Depths.” They are both great instrumental songs, and my only complaint is that they didn’t make Abysm longer. This might be in part because of album length.. "Involuntary Demoralization"(7/10) starts up abruptly and alludes to the melodic guitars about halfway through. It follows the same structure as other Oceano songs and jumps into an explosive guitar riff near the end. "Official Execution"(8/10) provides a fast paced finish to the album before breaking down into a slower paced guitar riff. The song speeds up again and is similar to the first few songs of the album, delivering blistering guitar riffs while dealing a slow melodic finish. Thanks for reading!

THIS ALBUM WILL BLOW YOUR SOCKS OFF, HEAVY CHICAGO BASED BAND WITH ATTITUDE.