About.com Rating

The latest release from the German band The Ocean is actually A double CD. Precambrian includes a 22 mini-CD titled "Hadean/Archaean," and a 61 minute full-length CD "Proterozoic," both referring to successive geological eras.

Like last year's Aeolian, this CD is a complex, experimental and technical release. There are once again several guest vocalists. Nate Newton from Converge and Tomas Hallbom from Breach make return appearances, and Sean Ingram (Coalesce) and a couple other singers also lend their talents to various songs.


The songs on Precambrian are epic and diverse. From short, focused technical metal to extended, experimental mellow jams, The Ocean runs the gamut of genres. What sets them apart is the cohesiveness of the songs. The songwriting is such that the transitions between divergent styles seems smooth and natural, not sudden and forced. From death metal to technical metal to doom metal to jazz to prog to electronica, The Ocean blends it all together into one enjoyable package.