REVIEW: Oceanhoarse – EP: Voluntary Bends

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We have been following OCEANHOARSE ever since their debut show at Nosturi when they were still very much a mystery to us. From the first show on, we saw the huge potential in this heavy metal act from Helsinki. Many singles and shows later, OCEANHOARSE is finally ready to release a bit of a longer release onto the universe. The EP “Voluntary Bends” is coming out on 15 November 2019.

Starting off with “Stitches”, the EP right from the start feels harder and heavier than anything the band has ever done before. The intro by itself could start either a moshpit or a raid, depending on the situation where you find yourself in. The intro to the song almost feels like thrash metal, with a hint of progressive metal, and leads up to more groovy, 80s-inspired riffs. Whether Ben Varon‘s guitar has survived “Stitches”, We are not sure, but his shredding and solos definitely feel dangerously good, and we wouldn’t be surprised if his guitar exploded somewhere along the line.

The EP continues with the previously released “Death Row Center”, a song that contains great guitar melodies, along with a groovy bassline. Now, I’m not a big fan of bands like SLIPKNOT, but OCEANHOARSE have totally appropriated their song “Duality”, and made it OCEANHOARSEY – as drummer Oskari Niemi so beautifully put – with a clever acoustic intro that then shifts into a parallel universe of brutality, almost as if someone really is pushing someone’s fingers through their eyes. In this song, Joonas Kosonen‘s talents as a very versatile singer definitely come across, as he almost goes insane to the song. The previously released “Feed The Sirens” is not a stranger, we remember the band’s very first show at Nosturi, as a support act to BEAST IN BLACK. The band played “Feed The Sirens”, and we remember it as one of our personal highlights of the evening. Ever since we’ve been waiting for the song to get released. With “Feed The Sirens” you can expect an aggressive attempt to make everybody start a moshpit on their own spontaneously, again. Heavy riffs, energetic drumming, and groovy basslines, if you then add a big chorus to the mix, you’ve got “Feed The Sirens”. With its Iron Maidenesque riffs, this single again is a fine addition to the repertoire these guys have built up the span of a year. Let’s hope that an album is in the makes and pops up really soon. Continuing the feeling of wanting to push people to the ground, OCEANHOARSE ends their EP with the even more so aggressive “Maze of Death”, which they already played at Ääniwalli.

So far, we have always seen a softer, slightly groovier side of OCEANHOARSE, but the heavier aspect of their sound gets introduced on this EP as well and is definitely a sound I hope they discover more in the future. The organic and edgy sound in the production, the moshpit-inducing sound and, the lack of the backing track, make “Voluntary Bends” perhaps one of the most honest and down-to-earth EPs you could possibly think of, showcasing the extreme skillset of these musicians.

Tracklist

1. Stitches
2. Death Row Center
3. Duality
4. Feed the Sirens
5. Maze of Death

Lineup

Joonas Kosonen – vocals
Jyri Helko – bass
Oskari Niemi – drums
Ben Varon – guitar

Links

www.facebook.com/oceanhoarse
www.instagram.com/oceanhoarse
twitter.com/oceanhoarseband

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