It's been five long years since German prog masters The Ocean released their sixth album, Pelagial, and embarked on its odyssean tour cycle; fans have been waiting with bated breath ever since for more of the band's signature progressive post metal to grace their ears.  In September, all that waiting finally paid off when the band announced their next double album, Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic and Phanerozoic II (subtitle as of yet unrevealed)  With this proclamation came the first single, Permian: The Great Dying.  The epic nine-minute album closer begins with explosive percussion and sails into epic waves of somber, doom-laden harmony, which roll out into the obscure distance, already enticing the listener to stay tuned for Part II even though they have barely experienced I.

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Now less than a month from the full release, we have received an even longer track, Devonian: Nascent, named for the era in which Earth experienced an explosion of diversity in fish species, as well as its first amphibious creatures.  Devonian shows a completely different side to Palaeozoic than Permian, as it picks up with a quiet ambience that slowly builds into a shimmering melodic passage featuring guest vocals from Jonas Renske, singer of renowned Swedish prog outfit Katatonia.  The track crests into a massively crushing second half as The Ocean's Loïc (Rossetti) joins in with his signature sea-shattering vocal fry to push the track into a heavier, sludgier realm.  Needless to say, I'm incredibly excited to hear more.

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Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic will be released on November 2nd via Metal Blade Records, and can be pre-ordered digitally via The Ocean's Bandcamp page, or physically on Metal Blade's website.

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