Pelagial

Occupation

• Vocals: Loïc Rossetti
• Guitar: Robin Staps
• Guitar: Jona Nido
• Bass: Louis Jucker
• Bass: Chris Breuer
• Drums: Luc Hess

Pelagic zone is the sixth studio album by the German post-metal band The Ocean. It was released on April 26, 2013 Metal Blade Records. It is a concept album about the pelagic layers of the oceans and brought the band's first chart placement.

Origin and Concept

Since the end of 2008 was the guitarist and songwriter Robin Staps the idea of ​​a concept album about the pelagic layers around with you. In an interview Staps explained that he did not know for a long time, as it should implement the idea. Finally wrote a Staps over 50 minutes long song about a journey from sea level to the sea floor. This trip would make Staps in as many facets. At the beginning of the album - at the ocean - the album sounds bright and light-footed, while the music at the end of the album gloomy, oppressive and brutal fails.

While Staps wrote the album in the summer of 2011, he noted that the variable course of the album would do no good. Compared to the Metal Hammer declared Staps that just over 54 minutes he could not slow down permanently down, as many would simply become too predictable. Besides music, yet samples from submarine movies were like The boat used to give the album a claustrophobic atmosphere. Originally pelagic zone was planned as a purely instrumental album, because according Staps would not fit the album song from the musical and conceptual reasons. Vocalist Loïc Rossetti could not participate due to illness first.

Pelagic zone was recorded in 2012 in the recording studio Bikini test in Swiss La Chaux -de-Fonds. The individual instruments were recorded in succession, first the drums, then the guitars and the bass. While working in the studio, the musicians came to the conclusion that Loïc Rossetti had to participate on the album. As he convalesced were faster than expected even written lyrics and sung by Rosetti. The album was produced by Robin Staps. The mix and mastering was taken over by Jens Bogren. In this case, the entire album was mixed on the piece, which " was insane idea" a loud Staps.

Finally, the album was still divided in eleven titles. The main reason was loud Staps that the listener can select individual parts of the album having to rewind without long. Jokingly he added that the band would receive less money from iTunes if the album would have less than eleven titles. Midwater finally appeared as a double album with and without vocals.

Title list

Reception

Anton Kostudis by the online magazine Metal.de gave the album ten out of ten points, the highest rating since The Ocean "prove once again that they are among the truly great visionaries of the metal scene " and the pelagic zone " 53 minutes outstanding proffered music". For Ronny Bittner of the German magazine Rock Hard, the band has " implemented the concept more appealing than " and, with the pelagic zone " a really great piece of prog - head cinema ". However, he criticized the song, which " sometimes very disturbing ," for which Bittner awarded 8.5 out of ten. According to Tom Küppers by the German magazine Metal Hammer show The Ocean over the entire length album the rare feat song conducive applied complexity. He rated the album five out of seven points. The Visions editors chose the album with an average of 7.9 from 12 possible Points album of the month May 2013.

Midwater managed as the first album of the band's history made ​​it into the charts, reaching number 68 on the German album charts.