First, I should mention that I am the host behind this podcast Far Beyond Metal and it is NOT a Metal Injection affiliated podcast. It is its own independent show that happens to be hosted by myself, a Metal Injection writer.
The Ocean released their masterpiece Pelagial in 2013 and have been playing it in full on most of their headline dates stops since then. While I understand that bands want to showcase newer material, after three years of playing mostly the same set I assumed that Robin Staps and his gang of aquatic misfits were growing tired of this album. I had the opportunity to ask him about it and here’s what he said.
FBM: “You're admittedly sick of the recent record.”
RS: “Yes. Positively!”
FBM: “I've heard "The Quiet Observer." It' a fantastic song, but that's A song. Do you have a record chambered?”
RS: “That song was written with a bunch of other tracks. Two years ago now. 2014, I wrote "The Quiet Observer." There are like even more tracks from that session that have not been properly recorded yet, but they're written as pre-productions. I know I keep postponing this, but after this Australian tour in December we're really going to work on this new record. It's mainly written, I'd say to about 80 percent, it's written, and we're planning to record in early Spring for a Fall 2017 release. Now, one year ago I said the exact same thing about 2016, so there's no promises if we get another tour offer that we really feel is good to do, we may consider it. We're at the point that we've really played everywhere with this record…I really feel like it's time for something new.
Also, I asked if he had something in mind conceptually already. Turns out he does, but not what everyone is expecting.
FBM: “Where do you go from here? As a band called The Ocean, you've now descended to the depths of the ocean…”
RS: “Yes, we have, and we're definitely not going to go toward the stars or the universe now, which would make sense. To be quite honest, I don't really know yet. I don't want to approach the next record the same way I approached Pelagial. For Pelagial, the whole conceptual idea was thee before I started writing the record. It was the first time I wrote an album like this and great experience, but also very limiting somehow….I think this record, we're going to approach a lot more freely. It's going to be more or less isolated songs that we're going to put in a good order and connect…I have a feeling that it's going to be a collection of songs rather than a concept album, because that's what everyone is expecting us to do. To take the next big step toward the universe. I think that's why I don't want to do it. I just want to write a good rock and roll record, with good songs. There's always going to be a red thread going through the lyrics of an album for us. From Precambrian on, but I don't want to make this another super conceptual, super brainy record. I just want to write good music, and see where it takes us. Approach it a bit more emotionally than the highly conceptual thing that was Pelagial.”
I, for one, was thinking they would go to space on the next album. So new Ocean soon(ish) you guys! Mastodon did a similar thing dropping the conceptual angle on The Hunter, which was a lot of fun.
Check out the full interview here where we discuss the band’s future touring the US and if they’re consider a Ne Obliviscaris or Allegaeon Patreon model. And subscribe here, because why not?
