AND OCEANS - CYPHER
Century Media - 2002
By Rodrigo Escandon
After the fantastic A.M.G.O.D., there were only two paths that And Oceans could take for the follow-up album Cypher. One would be to continue the musical direction of merging techno, electronica and black metal into one. The other would be to abandon that approach and go back to something more straightforward and just announce that A.M.G.O.D. was just one album that was to designed to do an experiment. Thankfully, And Oceans decided to take the first approach.
Cypher continues the musical progression found in their last album while making some changes to make it a totally different album and not just a copy cat. First, there are more industrial sounds included. Its not so much electronica or techno, which there is still plenty of, rather something similar to what Red Harvest plays, a cold, mechanical and structured sound. Secondly, the songs are much shorter and tighter. Most songs dont go over four minutes. The band doesnt go overboard with fancy playing, long melodies or repetition. The songs are to the point, quick and memorable. Every single song is distinguishable. However, where the songs lack in length in titles they make up for it, here are a couple of examples, the slow, heavy and cold Aphid: Devil Flower: Fruits of Lunacy and the fast paced and anthemic Angelina: Chtonian Earth: Her Face Forms Worms. The former is the perfect example of the industrial aspect that the band utilizes for this album and the latter is the perfect blend of thrash, black and techno melodies.
You want to hear more electronics, a piano mid-section with techno beats mixed with some heavy guitars then Voyage: Lost Between Horizons: Eaten by the Distance will be the perfect fix for you. Lets say you want a song that is heavy, fast, something that may resemble black metal then check out Catharsis: End of Organisms: Absolute Purification of Sins. Aphelion: Light Evanescence: Into Extinction is another heavier and speedy song that is distinguished by the bass taking the lead in some parts of the song, more melodic guitars and a catchy chorus with a cool electronic melody in the background.
Obtaining this album is rather a simple proposition. If you are the traditionalist that black metal should be raw and that techno and electronics dont mix with metal then steer clear from this release. However, If you enjoyed A.M.G.O.D. then you will surely enjoy Cypher. If you are new to this band and you are looking for something unique and different then definitely these last two releases are for you. And Oceans is truly alone with its originality, it is a band that explores, that does not follow the rules and they deserve your attention.
Century Media Website
And Oceans Official Website
Century Media - 2002
By Rodrigo Escandon
After the fantastic A.M.G.O.D., there were only two paths that And Oceans could take for the follow-up album Cypher. One would be to continue the musical direction of merging techno, electronica and black metal into one. The other would be to abandon that approach and go back to something more straightforward and just announce that A.M.G.O.D. was just one album that was to designed to do an experiment. Thankfully, And Oceans decided to take the first approach.
Cypher continues the musical progression found in their last album while making some changes to make it a totally different album and not just a copy cat. First, there are more industrial sounds included. Its not so much electronica or techno, which there is still plenty of, rather something similar to what Red Harvest plays, a cold, mechanical and structured sound. Secondly, the songs are much shorter and tighter. Most songs dont go over four minutes. The band doesnt go overboard with fancy playing, long melodies or repetition. The songs are to the point, quick and memorable. Every single song is distinguishable. However, where the songs lack in length in titles they make up for it, here are a couple of examples, the slow, heavy and cold Aphid: Devil Flower: Fruits of Lunacy and the fast paced and anthemic Angelina: Chtonian Earth: Her Face Forms Worms. The former is the perfect example of the industrial aspect that the band utilizes for this album and the latter is the perfect blend of thrash, black and techno melodies.
You want to hear more electronics, a piano mid-section with techno beats mixed with some heavy guitars then Voyage: Lost Between Horizons: Eaten by the Distance will be the perfect fix for you. Lets say you want a song that is heavy, fast, something that may resemble black metal then check out Catharsis: End of Organisms: Absolute Purification of Sins. Aphelion: Light Evanescence: Into Extinction is another heavier and speedy song that is distinguished by the bass taking the lead in some parts of the song, more melodic guitars and a catchy chorus with a cool electronic melody in the background.
Obtaining this album is rather a simple proposition. If you are the traditionalist that black metal should be raw and that techno and electronics dont mix with metal then steer clear from this release. However, If you enjoyed A.M.G.O.D. then you will surely enjoy Cypher. If you are new to this band and you are looking for something unique and different then definitely these last two releases are for you. And Oceans is truly alone with its originality, it is a band that explores, that does not follow the rules and they deserve your attention.
Century Media Website
And Oceans Official Website
