Finland’s …AND OCEANS have released their second album with their fully reformed lineup on January 27th, 2023, through Season of Mist. If you’re in the mood for some symphonic black metal with intoxicating themes that explore the relationship between philosophy and psychics, “As in Gardens, So in Tombs” manages to eclipse and recontextualize …AND OCEANS‘ trademark and adventurous songwriting with the sound of a band seizing every advantage in every way.
The opener starts with silence and enters equilibrium with synths as the title track hits you like a symmetrical hurricane. The soundscape fills the space with thrashy guitar riffs and the lyrics perfectly balance the song, responding to the sound architecture of reprises and intervals.
The album follows with “The Collector and His Construct,” which has a strong narrative structure. The surprising vocal lines are able to handle the complexity of the instrumental foundation, which can be catchy in the best sense of the term. …AND OCEANS again show freedom of creativity and never let the listeners wander away from their progressive thrashy/black metal harmonies.
“Within Fire and Crystal” is like a game of shapes, with strong powerful riffs and orchestrations filling out the sound, subtle but prominent. The drum solo is a nice touch and altogether again everything sits perfectly in time and space. Another example of a baroque touch is in “Carried on Lead Wings,” with a doom-ish melody supported by ambient orchestration. The song gives some dynamic movement by changing tempo and coming back to a known melody. The listener never experiences anything monotonous.
“Likt Törnen Genom Kött” gives off a more melodic vibe. The song is catchy, but the main riff – especially the juggling between two guitarists – Timo Kontio and Teemu Saari – evokes a senes of enchantment nonetheless. This is the element that moves the entire song and it is also present in “Samlarens Valv” (one of two bonus tracks). These two songs are very different pieces, but both share a linguistic commonality, as well as powerful blasting of reverbs. On both, the sound moves away from perception and becomes wind, the orchestrations branch out, and a certain intimacy is felt in the vocals.
The main single, “Cloud Heads,” is an intense track from beginning to end. It could be treated as a solid turning point on the album, with a giant wall of keyboards attacking you from disorienting angles, welcoming you in before the group launches fully into the song itself. “Wine into Water” is led by a solemn movement, which continues uninterrupted in the main execution; the significant parts are in the small but distinctive electronic nuances.
“Inverse Magnification Matrix” summarizes what the listener was expecting from the start: the art of balance that …AND OCEANS were always capable of. Pyry Hanski‘s bass rides the rhythm of Kauko Kuusisalo‘s drumming depths, galloping alongside, and nothing is left to chance; furthermore, Mathias Lillmåns seems to know exactly where to stop the vocals and give space to the soundscape.
The record’s end approaches with “The Earth Canvas” and subsequent “Ambivalent God.” The tones fade and the score shifts to technical expertise, reaching an ethereal level. In “Ambivalent God,” we heard the band demonstrate that they are interpreters of sounds and words, as well as the path that connects these two realities. The album ends with a single piano key note, primitive and apocalyptic. Let’s not forget the last song (or, rather, the second song in the bonus section), “Third Eye Catalyst.” …AND OCEANS show how even small details can make a very significant contribution to the overall soundscape, again, with the changing tempos and amazing interplay between all instruments and vocals.
In conclusion, “As in Gardens, so in Tombs” is a well-calibrated and balanced album. It has structures, actions, and reactions that have no flaws, yet still, they manage to dare to be creative. …AND OCEANS have proved once again that they are capable of making something new and different from albums they already made: a combination of symphonic black metal and industrial, mixed with electronica shows, wherein even the smallest details have a peculiar shape, each different from the others.
Written by Peter Jerman
Tracklist
- As in Gardens, so in Tombs
- The Collector and His Construct
- Within Fire and Crystal
- Carried on Lead Wings
- Likt Törnen Genom Kött
- Cloud Heads
- Wine into Water
- Inverse Magnification Matrix
- The Earth Canvas
- Ambivalent God
- Samlarens Valv (bonus track)
- Third Eye Catalyst (bonus track)
Lineup
Timo Kontio – Guitar
Mathias Lillmåns – Vocals
Teemu Saari – Guitar
Pyry Hanski – Bass
Kauko Kuusisalo – Drums
Antti Simonen – Keyboards
Label
Season of Mist
