Where Oceans Burn – The Faces We Portray
Where Oceans Burn – The Faces We Portray
Prime Collective
Release Date: 09/02/24
Running Time: 25:09
Review by Oli Gonzalez
8.5/10
Where Oceans Burn. A rising star in Manchester’s stacked underground metal scene. A metalcore quartet who have amassed some enviable accolades in their fairly short tenure. Having toured the UK and Ireland, opened the stage for the likes of Decapitated, and featured on festivals such as Techfest and Radar Festival, it’s crazy to think that this is still very much early days for the young band. Being based pretty close to me geographically, I’ve personally followed the band for a few years now and had the pleasure of seeing them live (trust me, this is something to behold). I may have ‘accidentally’ ended up in their pit at a very hot and sweaty show in Blackpool a while back too! Recently, the band have undergone a somewhat significant lineup change. As such, I was curious to see how the band’s sound had progressed on their latest EP “The Faces We Portray”. The band describe the lyrical themes being centred around ‘the struggles of the true self and how we try to hide this in fear of feeling judged’. As such, we may well hear some very explicit and somewhat darker lyrics here, all in a modern metalcore style sound. Let’s get into it.
Well, earlier in their career, Where Oceans Burn hit on a winning formula. A modern approach to metalcore played at a slower pace than the genre typically dictates, with a sound centred around soaring and instantly memorable vocal lines in the choruses. As well as being constructed around some phenomenally detailed synths that largely remain the melodic centrepiece to their music. If this isn’t broke, then why fix it? It’s definitely not broken, and they’ve taken this energy right into “The Faces We Portray”, with many of these features still prominent in the band’s sound. It feels as though there’s a more mature approach to the band’s compositions, perhaps best illustrated with “Caught Between The Grave And Yesterday”, in what feels like a much more complex song from a structural perspective.
It seems as though Where Oceans Burn have explored some newer sounds too on this EP. Especially with the more industrial edge of ‘Static’, whilst ‘Dysmorphia’ is certainly one of the band’s faster high tempo tracks to date! The former features an appearance from ‘ten.56’, thus demonstrating the connections the band possess.
I did make the point about the change in personnel, and almost implying that this could change the band’s sound and identity. Well, I was wrong about that as the soaring clean vocals remain as prominent as ever, in particular with ‘Euphoria’, largely a clean vocal affair. The song takes a more melancholic and stripped back approach, before unleashing hell towards the latter stages of the song with one god almighty breakdown! Jesus, that was gnarly. It’s too easy for bands of this genre to load up the tracks with breakdown after breakdown, to the point where they lose their impact. Whenever Where Oceans Burn deploy this tactic though, the impact is maximal and it’s made to count! For me, one of the highlights of the EP for sure!
As far as production is concerned, the level of detail is sublime and no stone has been left unturned. I know for certain this energy will transfer to a live setting, having seen the band perform with my very own eyes.
Overall, “The Faces We Portray” represents evolution and significant progression for the band. Whilst I think the band’s breakout album is still to come, Where Oceans Burn latest effort still has the capacity to get heads turned and get people talking about the band. Almost certainly for all the right reasons.
TRACKLISTING:
01. AI
02. Dysmorphia
03. Static
04. Manifest
05. Euphoria
06. Caught Between The Grave And Yesterday
LINE-UP:
Vocals – Alex
Guitar/bass – Ben
Drums – Callum
Guitar – George
LINKS:
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