Oceans of Slumber – Where Gods Fear to Speak

How has this band evaded my attention? Here they are with their sixth album, and I am only now appreciating what they do. I am referring to American outfit Oceans of Slumber by the way, and their new album “Where Gods Fear to Speak.” That title and the awesome cover artwork by Giannis Nakos evoke images of a futuristic otherworld, dystopian and desolate. Even before listening to the album this has created an air of mystique, so does the music follow suit?

Nine tracks act as the soundtrack to chapters in an imagined post-apocalyptic movie, with a surprise tenth representing the closing credits. The concept behind “Where Gods Fear to Speak” draws inspiration from various sources. These include productions such as The Handmaid’s Tale, The Dark Tower, The Book of Eli, and the novels of Cormac McCarthy. The material is dark and cinematic, sometimes aggressive but mostly melodic.

It starts with the title track ‘Where Gods Fear to Speak’ which left me in no doubt that I was going to love this. With loads of variety in the composition, it sets the scene perfectly. Ominous doom-laden chords lure you in and it is not long before the vocal phenomenon that is Cammie Beverly makes her appearance. Apart from featuring her incredible range this song highlights every aspect of the band’s multi genre approach.

As the final notes of the opener fade away, the faster hard hitting metal riff of ‘Run from the Light’ takes over. This banger moves up and down the gears with a slick guitar solo smoothly blended in from Alex Davis. An extra ingredient for the song is provided by Mikael Stanne of Dark Tranquillity who appears as a guest vocalist.

If you are thinking how fantastic Cammie’s vocals are, her husband, drummer Charles (Dobber) Beverly believes she is the best singer in America. Her performance on tracks like ‘Don’t Come Back from Hell Empty Handed’ and ‘Wish’ certainly back that up. One cannot fail to be impressed by the power, passion, and range but it is still a big claim. I am sure she could turn her hand to most styles of music, and this is demonstrated in ‘Poem of Ecstasy.’ This is a track that is a good example of her switching between growls and soaring cleans effortlessly.

The band parted ways with their previous record company over a disagreement on the direction of the material. Subsequently, this album is their first with the prestigious Season of Mist which has allowed them to take the route they preferred. In pursuit of the storytelling for “Where Gods Fear to Speak” it requires the variety we see throughout the tracks. Sometimes the composition is mellow such as in ‘The Given Dream,’ which has passionate vocals with just a few power chords.

More commonly the style varies across the track. Look no further than ‘I Will Break the Pride of Your Will’ for an example. Soft synthesiser parts rub shoulders with catchy riffs and hook lines, plus a small amount of growling amongst Cammie’s perfect clean vocals. A second guest vocalist features in ‘Prayer,’ and this time it is Fernando Ribeiro from Moonspell. His contribution adds a gothic feel to the track with the style veering back and forth between melodic and aggressive.

The last song – before the “closing credits” – is ‘The Impermanence of Fate’ which has a different feel to the rest. The message in this stirring song is that no matter what your situation is, you can usually change things. Dobber relates this to their own musical journey and states that “a lot of this record is fight songs.” Cammie certainly does not sound like she is about to give in. Her vocals come across loud and clear throughout the entire album. This is largely down to the excellent crisp production aided by Joel Hamilton at Audovision Studios in Bogota, Colombia.

Photo credit – Zach Johnson

Finally, to those closing credits I mentioned, and they are delivered in a gentle fashion. Acting as the exit music is the band’s cover of ‘Wicked Game’ by Chris Isaak. Originally released in 1989 and despite being covered by numerous artists since, I have only now become aware of the song. So, thank you Oceans of Slumber, you learn something new every day. It is a beautiful end to a superb, amazing, and incredibly varied musical experience.

This album is definitely going to be in my album of the year contenders list as I cannot fault it in any way. When I listen to an album repeatedly it can go one of two ways. Either I get sick of listening to it and move on or it keeps getting better. This album fits into the latter category and having played it countless times, I have not tired of it yet. I don’t dish out full marks very often, but I have no option but to do so in this case. I have a new band to follow, and they have a new fan.

Track-list:

1. Where Gods Fear to Speak
2. Run From the Light
3. Don’t Come Back from Hell Empty Handed
4. Wish
5. Poem of Ecstasy
6. The Given Dream
7. I Will Break the Pride of Your Will
8. Prayer
9. The Impermanence of Fate
10. Wicked Game