You know those underground bands that you come across and from the first time you listen to them you think to yourself “wow, this band is going to be huge”? Being As An Ocean is one of those bands for me. I heard of them at the beginning of this year through a friend and instantly fell in love with their blend of melodic and emotional hardcore. It didn’t take them very long at all to get their name out there because within a few weeks of releasing their first single, “Dear G-d” (which is also the title of the album), I had already heard several people talking about how great this band is. Dear G-d… is set to release on October 23rd via InVogue Records.
First and foremost, the lyrical content and vocals are some of the most emotional and powerful to grace this particular genre since Defeater’s Empty Days & Sleepless Nights and Pianos Become The Teeth’s The Lack Long After. Lyrics like “I’m trying my best to be a better man” (“Dear G-d”) and “There’s no need to run and hide when your true family is standing by your side” (“This Room Is Alive”) are just a few of the spectacular lines that you will come across on this 52-minute-long tearjerker entitled Dear G-d…. The vocal range is also incredible. You’ll get tastes of post-hardcore cleans, passionate hardcore yelling/screaming, and even a few monstrous lows that could slot into a deathcore album seamlessly. Additionally, to add to the emotional factor, there are several spoken word parts that are bound to send chills up and down your spine.
But it doesn’t stop there. Dear G-d… is just as jaw-dropping instrumentally as it is vocally. With riffs and leads that are sometimes reminiscent of Landscapes and Hundredth and several interludes that put off a strong Balance & Composure vibe (which can be heard particularly well on “This Loneliness Won’t Be The Death Of Me”), Being As An Ocean is not only one best of their genre, they are extremely original. Because of the aforementioned ambient sections, there are several instances where the bass is very noticeable and it makes the music sound even more emotional. The drumming on Dear G-d… is fairly standard, but that’s exactly how it should be. There is already more than enough going on with the ambient and melodic leads, and if Being As An Ocean used more technical drumming patterns, the music would not seem nearly as emotional.
Whether I was listening to the heavier melodic tracks like “The Hardest Part Is Forgetting Those You Swore You Would Never Forget”, “Humble Servant, Am I”, “This Room Is Alive”, and “We Will Never Be The Same” or the extremely emotionally-driven tracks like “Dear G-d”, “The Sea Always Seems To Put Me At Ease”, and “If They’re Not Counted, Count Me Out”, I was in a constant state of awe. From the first riff of “Nothing, Save The Power They’re Given” to the final notes of “If They’re Not Counted, Count Me Out”, Dear G-d… is, simply put, an absolute masterpiece that will make most of its listeners shed more than a few tears.
Links: Facebook – MerchNOW
