It sounds like the plot of a big budget summer blockbuster or an open-world video game. A faceless entity travels through time and bears witness to man’s effect on the Earth as celestial and eternal beings known as “The Ascendants” ponder whether or not to save the planet. This story powers Oceano’s fourth full-length album and first for Sumerian Records, Revelation. Picking up where 2015’s critically acclaimed Ascendants left off, the Illinois band—Adam Warren [lead vocals], Scott Smith [lead guitar], Chris Wagner [bass], and Andrew Holzbaur [drums]—expand their patented deathcore punch with intriguing atmospherics and a thought-provoking narrative that’s as deep as it is dark.
“All of the songs are the recollections of a separate being as he travels through a portal of alternate timelines,” explains Adam. “Each track is another revelation that he’s viewed. ‘The Ascendants’ have been watching society grow and lightly influencing it but allowing humans free will for the most part. In turn, what they’ve seen is humanity basically deplete the planet to a near state of destruction. In these vignettes, they are deciding whether or not it’s worth their intervention and subsequent salvation. The traveler carries this message.”
Oceano’s ability to encode such a transmission within the framework of tight, taut, and technical heavy music remains a key to their success since 2006. Over the past decade, the group has ignited a diehard fan base. The boys raise the bar yet again with Revelation. In 2016, they entered The Nook Recording Studio with producer and longtime collaborator Nicholas Nativo in New Lennox, IL. Tirelessly pushing to progress, they emerged with Revelation. “The Nook has become like our second home,” says Adam. “It’s where we recorded Ascendants and actually the place I did my first recordings with Oceano. It holds a cool history. The rebirth of the band began there. I think we captured some of that spirit all over again.”
At the end of the day, Oceano espouse an urgent message that continues to elevate them within the landscape of heavy music. “I hope when people hear this album they connect with my lyrics and the message behind it all—which is to be more aware of our environment and how to preserve it,” he leaves off. “That was the key thing that I had on my mind even since the last album. I want to instill a positive movement in our world, fans, and whoever stumbles upon the album.”