#the-ocean — Public Fediverse posts on home.social

Ralf Wiechers @[email protected] · 2026-05-10 · 06:40 UTC

The incredible colors of the #Mediterranean in the north of #Sicilia. #Italy #Europe #TheOcean https://photostream.drivingralle.de/2026/05/the-incredible-colors-of-the-mediterranean-in-the-north-of-sicilia-italy-europe-theocean/

#mediterranean #sicilia #italy #europe #theocean

Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2026-05-06 · 17:25 UTC

Electric Sun Defence – Estuary Review By Killjoy

It’s easy to take the Internet for granted, given how ubiquitous it is these days. A couple of decades ago, it would have been unthinkable for someone like me who lives in the United States to stumble upon music made by a group from Eigg. Hailing from this small Scottish island—with a population of only about 100—Joe Cormack and Pete Colquhoun formed Electric Sun Defence following the early dissolution of their former group, The Massacre Cave, after just one album that was released in 2020. Estuary represents the next step along this trail of spirited progressive/post-metal that these two bandmates began blazing years ago.

It turns out that Estuary is an apt metaphor for Electric Sun Defence’s music. Estuaries, formed when freshwater rivers mix with the salty ocean, account for some of the world’s most productive wildlife ecosystems. Similarly, Estuary inhabits the sweet spot between the melodicism of prog and the coarse textures of post-metal. Much like The Ocean and Void of Light, Electric Sun Defence is prone to change from tranquil to tempestuous at a moment’s notice. The flurries of activity are glued together with delicious, delicate post-rock segments in the vein of pg.lost or Red Sparowes. The balance between these competing interests can feel fragile at times, but they manage to coexist and enrich their musical environment together.

Estuary’s standout strength is the masterful buildup and discharge of tension. This is immediately clear as the title track begins, layering bass and horns atop cymbal taps and serene guitars, then eventually erupting into a furious post-metal wave. “Fountain of Blood” takes things further with harsh guitar riffs that also contain the perfect amount of groove. “The Master’s Garden” deftly winds between glassy post-rock and distorted chords, climaxing with an intricate guitar melody. Though the intensity waxes and wanes, there is a clear trend of increasing aggression as Estuary progresses, becoming more like a combination of Cult of Luna and Dvne for the final two tracks, “Phantom Limb Amputee” and “In Bestia.” During the latter, Pete Colquhoun really gets to let loose with forceful and frenetic rhythms behind the kit. Don’t let the monochromatic album art fool you; Electric Sun Defence paints with a wide array of aural hues.

The dynamic composition is good, but when paired with an intuitive flow, the experience borders on transcendent. Each track fluidly transitions to the next, and the fact that none of them exceeds 8 minutes helps to keep Estuary from becoming stale. This is a rare instance of the shorter interlude tracks serving a larger purpose, albeit in a subtle way. “Spiderweb” is pretty enough that I can look past its bothersome soundbites, and “Dysmorph” functions as a reprieve while setting the stage for the raging “Phantom Limb Amputee” that follows. The grouping of these tracks with the shoegaze elements in “Choke Leper” causes the momentum to sag a little, but not terribly so. Another minor weak point is that the vocals—especially the cleans—can sound muffled, but the strength of the instruments helps compensate.

Though I entered Estuary with no expectations, it turned out to be exactly what I was looking for at the time. It keeps the listener guessing from moment to moment with the continual assurance that they’ll love whatever comes next. Electric Sun Defence shows their versatility by wielding both emotive melody and crushing ferocity. Albums like this make me pause and appreciate the privilege we have to conveniently access great music from all over the world. Electric Sun Defence might be the best metal group in Eigg by default, but they can give others in larger regions a serious run for their money too.

Rating: 4.0/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Road To Masochist
Websites: electricsundefence.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/people/Electric-Sun-Defence
Releases Worldwide: May 8th, 2026

#2026 #40 #CultOfLuna #Dvne #ElectricSunDefence #Estuary #May26 #pgLost #PostRock #PostMetal #ProgressiveMetal #RedSparowes #Review #Reviews #RoadToMasochist #ScottishMetal #TheMassacreCave #TheOcean #VoidOfLight

#cultofluna #dvne #electricsundefence #estuary #may26 #pglost

Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2026-04-02 · 16:27 UTC

Void of Light – Asymmetries Review By Thus Spoke

Does Void of Light refer to a source of luminescence, or is it shorthand for its total absence? The group might know something about the latter, hailing as they do from the northerly latitude of Glasgow, Scotland. Their musical medium—a sludgy, atmospheric post-metal—also reflects a dichotomous embodiment of light and dark: often crushingly heavy and thematically bleak, but also upliftingly melodic. Asymmetries—another nod to duality and imbalance—is a debut four years in the making, drawing together the fragments of brutality and reflective ambience from the preceding EPs into a bold statement on who Void of Light are. And decisive that statement certainly is.

Void of Light’s approach to post-metal is rich and dynamic, layering leaden riffing, melancholic melody, and flexible tempos around one another to augment the music’s ability to captivate. Strikingly, flatteringly akin to Deadly Carnage in the expert intermingling of delicacy and harshness (“Still the Night Skies”) and an ever-evolving rhythm, the album flows gracefully. Dips into The Ocean of steady, progressive builds, tangles with LLNN-levels of skull-bashing heaviness (“Mirrorings”), and even flirtation with black metal (“Ends,” “Mirrorings”) compliment a nuanced, emotional soundscape with heart and bite.

Asymmetries by Void of Light

The magnetism of Asymmetries is felt gradually and with progressive strength, like approaching a planet’s gravitational field. Things begin almost understatedly in “The Passing Hours,” with a loose, modulated melody and a steady onward crush that only hints at the depths to come. That is, before the final act gives the game away when soft singing gives way to a jubilant guitar solo over the rush of blackened percussion: a dramatic backdrop for the final reprise. These soaring, energetic guitar lines weave in and out across the record, communicating joy and bittersweet blueness as they variously dance (“Silver Mask,” “Ends”) and float (“The Passing Hours,” “Still the Night Skies”) over the comparative bluntness. Gentle (“The Passing Hours,” “Ends”) and impassioned (“Silver Mask,” “Still the Night Skies,” “Mirrorings”) cleans add still more layers of emotion as they move in pitch and volume with or in brilliant opposition to the instrumentation, and equally ardent screams (“Silver Mask,” “Still the Night Skies”). None of this would be half as stirring, however, were it not wrapped around the multidimensional rhythmic core that spills over from the percussion to riffs and vocals alike. Rippling fills and agile rolls thread texture upon which singing floats or screams rain down (“The Passing Hours,” “Mirrorings”). Frequent slides into snappy off-beats (“Silver Mask,” “Ends”) and impressively rich, cascading blackened tirades (“Ends,” “Still the Night Skies,” “Mirrorings”)—the kind you’d expect from Panopticon—intensify already incendiary peaks where aforementioned guitars dance or soar.

Asymmetries, as a name, can only be used complimentarily here; perhaps the worst that could be said is that the album might get even better as it progresses. If I had to be incredibly harsh, I would point to the oft-repeated pattern of songs lapsing midway into stripped-back plucking and singing before the reprise of heaviness. Even then, songs don’t sound the same, and the formula is an effective conduit for tension and emotion, formula though it may be. Really, though, Asymmetries feels ideally formed and structured to deliver the maximum impact as it is: the rhythms growing more fluid and restless, the layers of sung and screamed vocals more multiplicitous, and the returning spaces of poignant ambience serving to gradually dial up the pathos as well as the more tangible force of the riffs, drumbeats, and roars. If the ascendant singing in the final act of “Silver Mask” lifts you up, wait until “Still the Night Skies,” and the cascading multitracking on “Mirrorings”. If “The Passing Hours” jolts you into attention with its final forcefulness, wait until the sudden savagery that closes “Ends” and then how the following songs stack this ardour with that singing, and the consistently gorgeous waves of clear and hazy melody.

Asymmetries’ power was not instantly obvious, but with every listen its grip grew tighter and the sky around it lost its colours as they were drawn into the void. Void of Light effectively communicate a dichotomy between light and shadow in their sad, uplifting, harsh, fragile debut. And if this is where they’re starting from, then heads, hearts, and score-safety-counters everywhere will need to watch out in the future.

Rating: Great!
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Ripcord Records
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: April 3rd, 2026

#2026 #40 #Apr26 #Asymmetries #DeadlyCarnage #LLNN #PostRock #PostBlack #PostMetal #Review #Reviews #Sludge #TheOcean #UKMetal #VoidOfLight

#apr26 #asymmetries #deadlycarnage #llnn #postrock #postblack

Lluís Miquel Soto ✊🏿⛏️💪! @[email protected] · 2026-01-05 · 11:46 UTC

https://youtu.be/Nt6IpvnGt4A?si=pww1PUIObaVuMc0S

La meva #CançóDelDia per al dijous 8 de gener és aquesta de #TheOcean #Berlín #PostMetal #ProgMetal #SludgeMetal 🔥!

#cancodeldia #theocean #berlin #postmetal #progmetal #sludgemetal

Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-10-23 · 16:13 UTC

Psychonaut – World Maker Review

By Kenstrosity

Over the course of the last five years and change, my estimation of Belgian three-piece Psychonaut has only increased. Where I unfortunately missed out on Violate Consensus Reality for review duties, I didn’t let it slip outside of my listening rotation—certainly not after such an impressive debut, Unfold the God Man. I underrated that outing, citing bloat as the main drawback. Little did I consider that Psychonaut’s music often needs much more time than we’re given as our standard reviewing window to fully bloom. The psychedelic proggy post-metal purveyors boast a thoughtful and deeply layered songwriting approach that can’t be captured by a casual spin or three. Hence why I asked for World Maker, the trio’s third opus, early.

This proved to be a wise choice, as World Maker once again showcases the kind of writing that expands with a seemingly infinite upper limit over the course of time and attention. Less immediate than Violate Consensus Reality and less intimidating than Unfold the God Man, World Maker plucks the ripest fruit from each endeavor to formulate a rich and tantalizing concoction worthy of peddling alongside household names like The Ocean, Pink Floyd, and even Tool. World Maker is in some ways more intense (“Endless Currents”), and in others more relaxed (“…Everything Else is Just the Weather”), and all-around more psychedelic than what I’ve heard from Psychonaut before. Yet, it wholly retains Psychonaut’s uncanny knack for organic, almost primal rhythms, fluid transitions, and captivating phrases that achieves comparable success with or without vocals (“Origins”).

What sets World Maker apart from either of its predecessors is refinement in songwriting. Their base formula remains intact, but the methods with which Psychonaut compose and perform these latest arrangements ooze sophistication and finesse. Epic tracks like “And You Came with Searing Light” and “Stargazer,” in particular, showcase some of Psychonaut’s strongest and most satisfying writing to date. Exploring a wide gamut of textures, tones and tempos, these long-form journeys balance the power of the riff utilized on “You Are the Sky…” and “Endless Erosion” with the introspective post-metal lightness illuminated on “…Everything Else is Just the Weather” and “All in Time.” Generous and varied application of this strategy album-wide affords Psychonaut’s impeccably detailed compositions ample room for natural transformations between the monstrous and the gentle. This, in turn, allows World Maker to feel alive, to grow and evolve with every passing minute, and each subsequent spin.

As such, World Maker takes time and commitment to fully appreciate. It moves with such grace that its hour-long 1 runtime shrinks dramatically before me; that much became evident almost immediately. At the same time, it’s a dense and complex work that unfolds across multiple dimensions more rapidly than any one explorer can keep step. Perhaps this is a reflection of the circumstances surrounding its creation. With guitarist/vocalist Stefan de Graef’s entry into new fatherhood to devastating news of his father’s and bassist/vocalist Thomas Michiels’ father’s advanced cancer diagnoses, a newfound focus on the here and now illuminates the emotional shades that help define and color World Maker’s deeply affecting compositions. Trading off bright glimmers of hope with the looming shadow of grief, and simultaneously carrying the weight of everything that falls between, informs every moment of World Maker. This makes it a much more personal record than its predecessors. Moreover, Psychonaut curated an inviting, vulnerable space so that I might join in their joys and their sorrows through this work, creating a special kind of intimacy that is a privilege to share.

Even for those who lack the context in their own lives yet to fully identify with the stories and messages explored here, World Maker will likely have a substantial impact. It is a record that demands not just your full attention, but also your recurring presence. A single spin, or even three, is wholly insufficient to chart in totality what Psychonaut attempts to communicate here. These are songs meant to somehow, in some way, encapsulate the breadth of life and all of the lessons it teaches, the pains it inflicts, and the exhilaration it inspires. In my opinion, Psychonaut achieved a difficult, delicate balance within that astounding spectrum. All you need to see it for yourself is an open heart and a little time.

Rating: Great!
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kb/s mp3
Label: Pelagic Records
Websites: psychonautband.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/psychonautband
Releases Worldwide: October 24th, 2025

#2025 #40 #BelgianMetal #Oct25 #PelagicRecords #PinkFloyd #PostMetal #ProgressiveMetal #PsychedelicMetal #Psychonaut #Review #Reviews #TheOcean #Tool #WorldMaker

#belgianmetal #oct25 #pelagicrecords #pinkfloyd #postmetal #progressivemetal

Angry Metal Guy @[email protected] · 2025-10-18 · 14:19 UTC

Void of Sleep – The Abyss Into Which We All Have to Stare Review

By Saunders

Italy’s progressive sludge toilers Void of Sleep unleashed an impressive debut courtesy of 2012’s gripping Tales Between Reality and Madness, dropped a less impressive sophomore album in 2015’s New World Order, before returning to form on the darker progressive explorations of 2020’s Metaphora. Perhaps not helped by a sluggishly sporadic pattern of recorded material, Void of Sleep’s bright talents remain hidden in obscurity, ensuring a low profile. Which is a damn shame, as their albums offer plenty, especially the debut and Metaphora. Out of the blue, Void of Sleep re-emerge for the first time in over five years, locked and loaded with their wordily titled fourth album, The Abyss Into Which We All Have to Stare. Can Void of Sleep emerge from an extended slumber to flex their songwriting muscles and write an album to finally grant them the exposure this gifted unit deserve?

Void of Sleep long refined the burly, hook-laden ball of energy of their debut into the darker, introspective, progressive rock channels of their more recent material. Each LP shares familiar elements while remaining distinctive. Charting complex, winding arrangements and post-metal swells, without abandoning their psych flourishes and chunkier sludge rock heft, Void of Sleep continue spiraling down increasingly melancholic, spacey and adventurous wormholes. Musically, The Abyss Into Which We All Have to Stare is most similar to their previous outing, burrowing synth-steeped atmospherics and probing instrumental jams into their muscular sludge rock and progressive foundations.

Whereas heavier use of synths, tribal infused rhythms and hypnotic instrumental segments are ever prevalent across the album’s lengthy individual movements (barring a short introduction piece), Void of Sleep maintain shreds of the hooky, surging sludge rock fury of their previous work. “Misfortune Teller” harkens back to the versatile and heaving sludge blows and melodic sensibilities of their past endeavors to solid effect. It’s an aspect of their sound dialed back, with their more aggressive, heavier roots occasionally missed. Delving deeper into proggy, post-metal realms, Void of Sleep shift the balance towards slower-burning, more elusive songwriting traits and a sound that is less immediate, perhaps suffering slightly as a result. The album’s meandering beginnings, reflected on ambient opening movement, “Dark Gift,” and feeding into the drawn-out build-up on the otherwise impactful prog-sludge and propulsive dynamic shifts of “Omens from Nothingness,” make for a curiously sedate start. Void of Sleep strongly favor lengthy compositions, including four of the album’s seven songs extending beyond the eight-minute mark. This isn’t exactly new territory for Void of Sleep, this time unleashing their longest album to date.

The marathon four-song trek from “Lullaby to Woe” to closer “A Demon In My View” comprises a large chunk of the runtime. Despite a multitude of interesting ideas and stellar moments, the lengthy stretch is a mixed bag. “Lullaby to Woe” features nods to Tool and The Ocean, weaving pulsing rhythms and a progressive ebb and flow arrangement, fed through a burly, stoner prog filter. Killer hooks and addictive grooves reside, marred by a bloated, sample-laden mid-section impacting momentum, temporarily drifting from the song’s strengths and potency. Quality musicianship and surging climax aside, “From the Unborn Mother” loses focus and lacks a gratifying hook to nail the landing. Not without minor issues, the closing duo fare better overall. Following a creepy carnival-esque intro, “Phantoms of Nihil” takes a while to hit its stride, eventually showcasing its heavier wares, progressive strokes, and booming vocals. Burdo’s thick, accented vox may prove divisive, though remain an asset, juggling dual guitar duties while belting out impassioned, rugged cleans and occasional heavier screams and bellows. His versatile and emotive delivery makes a punchy impact, sounding rougher and more seasoned against the album’s bleaker tones. Though a few misguided moments and awkward vocal phrasing arise, it’s another solid performance.

Void of Sleep remains a gifted bunch of sludge-slinging progsters and underappreciated unit in the modern progressive metal and sludge scenes. The Abyss Into Which We All Have to Stare may lose some of the focus and addicting songwriting spark of their stronger efforts, yet features enough engaging elements, a gritty delivery, and subtly infectious hooks to stay afloat. An organic, punchy production job and excellent musicianship also shine. Unfortunately, pacing issues, ambition occasionally giving way to meandering misadventure, contribute to bloat and faltering cohesion to an otherwise intriguing batch of moody and darkly mysterious progressive tunes.

Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 10 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Aural Music
Websites: Bandcamp | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: October 17th, 2025

#2025 #30 #AuralMusic #ItalianMetal #Oct25 #ProgressiveMetal #ProgressiveSludge #Review #Reviews #SludgeRock #TheAbyssIntoWhichWeAllHaveToStare #TheOcean #Tool #VoidOfSleep