It’s a bold move to release an album containing only two tracks, as a lot will inevitably end up riding on the pair, but Oceanwake have certainly delivered something special with Earthen.
Having first come across Oceanwake at a Moonsorrow show in Turku (a band which has ironically also released a top-notch two track album), I’ve continued to be impressed by the band ever since, as not only did they put on a great show when I saw them, they also released a stunning album entitled Sunless shortly after the gig – and as Earthen is also an absolutely incredible listen, it shows that Oceanwake is a band that is just consistently amazing.
Like with their previous album, Oceanwake take their time with the performance of each track and it really helps the pieces to sink into your psyche and leave an impression on you. With soaring epic guitars coupled with clean vocals, to sludgier down-tempo crushing drums and heavy guitars paired up with growled vocals – and everything inbetween – Earthen keeps the listener on their toes and takes them on a varied trip utilising several different styles and approaches, so you can never quite be sure what will happen next on the piece!
A very immersive piece of work, Earthen is something that you can’t just listen to once before moving onto something else – this is an album that you will keep wanting to listen to, and on each revisit you seem to notice another new little detail! This is an album that should not be missed.
10/10
