{"id":863819,"date":"2026-09-28T18:38:11","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T18:38:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/863819\/"},"modified":"2026-09-28T18:38:11","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T18:38:11","slug":"the-ocean-solaris-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/863819\/","title":{"rendered":"The Ocean – Solaris Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Sady, it\u2019s been a while since we\u2019ve really heard an incredible The Ocean record. While 2023\u2019s Holocene<\/a> wasn\u2019t shit by any means, it was nothing like the run the band has had since 2013\u2019s Pelagial<\/a>. I\u2019ve never been so captivated by a selection of consequential albums\u2014only recently with the Green Carnation trilogy. Drifting away from the epochs, The Ocean sets off to the stars with this year\u2019s Solaris. Not only are we heading up instead of staying below, but many of the band\u2019s recent lineup has also moved on to their next stars and adventures. In particular, Lo\u00efc Rossetti\u2019s voice is no longer with us, replaced by the duo Enrico Tiberi and Lane Shi. Along with spacey effects and instrumental vibes, these two bring a completely new dynamic to the band\u2019s sound. If one were to assume Solaris marks the beginning of a new era, how will it fare compared to previous ones? Or does \u201c51\u00b028\u203230\u2033 S, 73\u00b06\u203211\u2033 W\u201d really represent the \u201cLast Hope\u201d?<\/p>\n

Based on Stanis\u0142aw Lem\u2019s book of the same title, this new record is a mindfuck of emotion and unexplainable contradictions, much like the heartbreaking story that takes us to a research station above the surface of the water planet Solaris. Its black waters are assumed sentient, but what the crew experiences from this ocean sends them into a tailspin of fear and mental breakdown. The key work and atmosphere of Solaris work perfectly, thanks in large part to the contributions of the legendary Thorsten Quaeschning (Tangerine Dream). But where this psychological thriller takes us, one can only guess.<\/p>\n

\ufeffSolaris by The Ocean<\/a><\/p>\n

Smack dab in the middle of Berlin at Hansa Studios, \u201c52\u00b030\u201911\u201d N, 13\u00b026\u201912\u201d E\u201d begins our journey with gentle vibraphone, acoustic guitars, and our introduction to Tiberi. Then, the course is set in \u201cDeparture Song,\u201d as our hero sets off to help the broken crew. The vibraphone and bass bleed into its introduction before distortion hits and the male\/female combo soars. As it progresses through aggressive passages and impressive, forceful wailing from Shi, its cherry on top is the shared vocal structures of another classic The Ocean chorus. While this track is one of the best on the album, the follow-up, \u201cLight Pollution,\u201d is the weirdness that permeates through the scratching needle from here until the end. Female swoons haunt the track as the spacey effects drown out the stars and blot the sun. Harsh male vocals surface as we near the angry planet, while swirling transitions promise the uncertainty ahead. When it all crumbles, a nasty, sludgy trot rises to the surface to end it all.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

As the album progresses, the intensity does as well\u2014much like Pelagial all those years ago. As the unexplainable figures appear above and below, the frustration and confusion (for our characters and ourselves) increase until it erupts in \u201cBelligerence.\u201d It unleashes absolute chaos. Up to now, Tiberi\u2019s vox were the only ones to rasp and scream, but now, Shi returns the favor. Trapped in the metallic confines that protect one from the frozen expanse, Tiberi and Shi do battle, dragging knuckles, nails, and teeth down every corridor. When the triplet attack arrives, the necks of any longtime The Ocean fan awaken. \u201cUltima Esperanza\u201d pushes this concept to its breaking point, with moments of recollection, understanding, and hopelessness. As we near the emotional climax of overwhelm, loss, and pain, there\u2019s really nothing to do but wave and fall.<\/p>\n

While the book\u2019s concept flows throughout with its unique The Ocean interpretation, some things plague Solaris. \u201cSimulacra,\u201d \u201cBelligerence,\u201d and \u201cUltima Esperanza\u201d represent forty of the album\u2019s seventy minutes\u2014which is a lot. The seventeen-minute \u201cSimulacra\u201d is the biggest culprit, which is a shame because it showcases a lot of great, classic The Ocean vibes and its haunting importance to the concept. The two closing numbers match the story\u2019s theme well, but their exclusive industrial approach stands out mightily. Many will complain about the vocals. They are so different from what fans are used to that it\u2019s impossible to ignore. But their stellar performances cannot be dismissed. It\u2019s just completely different than what we\u2019re used to with the band. After numerous spins, I finally understand this album, and it gives the score a slight nudge. It\u2019s different, but fans will find something to enjoy here.<\/p>\n

Rating: 3.0\/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb\/s mp3
Label: Pelagic Records<\/a>
Websites: theocean.bandcamp.com<\/a> | facebook.com\/theoceancollective<\/a>
Releases Worldwide: September 25th, 2026<\/p>\n

\n\tGive in to Your Anger:<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sady, it\u2019s been a while since we\u2019ve really heard an incredible The Ocean record. While 2023\u2019s Holocene wasn\u2019t…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":863820,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[53],"tags":[54639,20792,88,59898,249240,216,364468,39174,39175,899,900,353110,114683,364469,138400,248513],"class_list":["post-863819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-54639","tag-3-0","tag-entertainment","tag-german-metal","tag-green-carnation","tag-music","tag-pelagic-records","tag-post-metal","tag-progressive-metal","tag-review","tag-reviews","tag-sep26","tag-sludge","tag-solaris","tag-tangerine-dream","tag-the-ocean"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/863819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=863819"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/863819\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/863820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=863819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=863819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=863819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}