Oceans Of Slumber are back – and they're hungry. I became a big fan of the band in 2018 with the release of The Banished Heart. The music was gritty, heartbreaking, dark, and exquisitely emotional. What simply cannot be ignored while listening to Oceans Of Slumber are the vocals of Cammie Gilbert (now Gilbert-Beverly).
I was blown away by her depth and richness, and how she could convey fragility with such a powerful technique. I listened to the album over and over again just to make sure that I was right about my instincts – that the band wasn't a one trick pony due to an extremely talented vocalist. The more I listened, the more convinced I was that this was some of the freshest, clever modern metal out there. You can check out my review for The Banished Heart here.
Six years later, Oceans Of Slumber have gone through quite an evolution. Over the years, they've toyed with more poppy, mainstream sounds and explored musical whims which have kept them carefully curating what they wanted to bring to the table next. Throughout all of their releases, I have to admit that I vibed with Oceans Of Slumber best when they were deeply, painfully moody. The band does sentimental, passionate, and heartfelt metal like no other in the last 20 years.
I am beyond giddy to report that Where Gods Fear to Speak is a product of their many ventures into genre-building combined with raw, bone-crushing expression. Cammie Gilbert continues to establish herself as one of the top vocalists in modern metal with Where Gods Fear to Speak. What is different about Where Gods Fear to Speak is the intelligence of the accompanying tracks.
The track "Wish" is a perfect example of Oceans Of Slumber's growth. It is melodic, but purposefully holds back from being too repetitively heavy-handed. The song sparkles with intelligent song writing. Swells of intensity frame thoughtful drum work, and the tone of the guitar is perfectly moderately aggressive to produce a satisfying alternative/metal swirl. I'd venture to call Where Gods Fear to Speak some of their most mature songwriting thus far into their career.
The album has the gut-wrenching moments I was looking for with less of the desperation that was hallmark of their earlier albums. All grown up, Oceans Of Slumber offers a blend of prog laced with face-pounding growls and ripping guitars reminiscent of some of the heaviest death and even doom offerings. "Poem of Ecstasy" left me breathless with their brilliant mixture of drawn back and clean guitars paired with melting riffage.
I got frission listening to the whole album at random times, but on this song specifically I kept getting goosebumps over and over again listening to the sheer power offered in just 6 little minutes. It's a "mic drop" of a song and a complete triumph. The soft and melodic opening, tinged with record pops, doesn't prepare you for the cutting change into gritty, muddy growls and blackened guitar. Cammie's vocals soaring overtop is transcendent.
It drops hard into marching counts and bombastic synth interlaced into a cacophony of genius songwriting. Towards the end of the song, the guitar draws back a little to allow striding, dynamic drumming to lift Cammie's lyrics which cut effortlessly straight into your heart. Bravo, Oceans Of Slumber, you didn't come to play with this record.
"The Given Dream" leans hard into progressive metal in such a nuanced way. It's not exploratory or 'weird', it's not unyieldingly chuggy or thrashy, it's a perfect blend of guitar work and song writing that simultaneously draws you in and sets you free. The band really toys with intensity throughout the album with every instrument – vocals included. The push and pull of the music is mesmerizing and keeps you wanting more.
The following track "I Will Break the Pride of Your Will" follows the same script. It's decadently moody and exciting to listen to. This whole record is full of music that demands your attention and doesn't let go for the entirety of the album. After a few indulgent listens, I can confidently say that Where Gods Fear to Speak exemplifies the best song writing of their career so far. The music is innovative and doesn't rely on just their uber-talented vocalist to catapult Oceans Of Slumber into success.
Where Gods Fear to Speak is exactly what I wanted to hear in 2024. Song "Prayer" is a massive effort, firing on all melodic cylinders to their best, most realized extents. "The Impermanence of Fate" is another song that made me forget what I was writing while listening to it. The track is commanding, leading with a fierceness that simply makes you helplessly emotional.
Oceans Of Slumber have transformed their solely grim aspirations into ones of darkly purposeful and powerful ones, sorrowful and melancholic. Yet, there is something about Where Gods Fear to Speak that is warm and uplifting at the same time. Like an epiphany, the album explores the depths of human emotions and the outcome of hardships to come to a satisfying conclusion. It has taken a surprisingly few number of years for this Texas-based outfit to find a sound that is simply unparalleled or replicated by any other band, a feat worth being extremely proud of. I'm so impressed by the development of the band.
If this is a sign of what is to come, Oceans Of Slumber could also become one of the most important bands in modern metal. Where Gods Fear to Speak is by far one of the best albums of the year.
