Though they proudly hail from the fiery heart of Houston, Texas, Oceans of Slumber are always pushing toward the next frontier. Back in May, while on tour with Lacuna Coil and New Years Day, the band gave a first glimpse at their upcoming sixth album with a spellbinding video for its boundless title track.
Today, Oceans of Slumber are pulling back the curtain even further by officially announcing Where Gods Fear to Speak, which was produced by GRAMMY nominee Joel Hamilton. The album’s second single, “Poem of Ecstasy”, breathes new life into the metal scene by remaking a timeless story in their own dark cinematic image.
Watch the grim-but-glowing performance video for “Poem of Ecstasy”
Where Gods Fear to Speak comes out September 13 on Season of Mist.
Pre-order & Stream: https://orcd.co/oceansofslumberwheregodsfeartospeakalbum
Oceans of Slumber defy any and all conventions. For the past 15 years, the band have redefined the Southern Gothic by casting their tales of hope and despair against an ever-shifting backdrop of melodic death, doom and black metal, with subtle electronic flourishes and classical composition added for good measure. But their new album expands their progressive vision to the hi-def scope of a Hollywood blockbuster. Each song acts as another gripping plot twist along its grand narrative arc.
“Where Gods Fear to Speak exists somewhere between The Handmaid’s Tale, The Dark Tower and Cormac McCarthy”, Dobber Beverly says. “It’s part science fiction, part western gunslinger with a heavy dash of post-apocalyptic survival”.
Of course, no movie is complete without a compelling soundtrack. “Poem of Ecstasy” splices together so many stand-out scenes that it could spin off as its own mini-epic. We open on frontwoman Cammie Beverly, doing vocal runs in the moonlight cast by a twinkling piano, only to cut from outlaw country to doom-laden power metal and what can only be described as “dystopian grindcore”.
“Every time you make a new record, you think it’s the best,” Dobber continues, “but ‘Poem of Ecstasy’ is easily one of the best songs we’ve ever written. It sounds like an energetic, pissed-off-band, with enigmatic storytelling and all those magical things”.
Performing such a radical play on extreme metal requires a talented cast of characters. Having already toured the world with Enslaved, Ne Obliviscaris and Swallowed by the Sun, Oceans of Slumber are well-acquainted with metal’s biggest stages. Even the most obscure corners of the underground recognize Dobber as the drummer for grindcore legends Insect Warfare, but he’s also a classically trained pianist who composed all of Where Gods Fear to Speak. His Necrofier bandmate Semir Ozerkan adds heat with harsh backing vocals and warm but bruising bass fills, as co-guitarists Alex Davis and Chris Kritikos roar through the mix like a sandstorm, though everyone cedes the spotlight to the band’s leading lady.
“I’ll do everything to stay by your side“, Cammie belts. Her cleans push back against the charging blast beats like a force field, but while she only gains strength from sinking into the profane depths of her newly anointed death growls, there’s still a feeling that something deep inside is holding her back. “And I’ll do anything except stop what I’m chasing“.
On the album’s title track, Oceans of Slumber banged heads with the religious institutions that loomed over their formative years in Texas, but “Poem of Ecstasy” has them fighting on a different kind of battle. “All of the songs on Where Gods Fear to Speak are set in this futuristic, derelict world, where the lower class are rebelling against their overzealous rulers”, says Cammie, “but this one is the album’s big no-holds-barred love song”.
The musical tug of war that rages throughout “Poem of Ecstasy” — between unrelenting heaviness and subdued introspection — mirrors the struggle of its hero. When writing the lyrics, Cammie was inspired by Blade Runner and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. “Sometimes, we’re so hellbent on pursuing our dreams that we lose sight of the people we’re fighting for”, she says. “How can you save the world if you can’t even save yourself?”
Not every movie has a happy ending. While plenty inspired, Cammie’s last words on “Poem of Ecstasy” ring out like a cry for help. “Save me / Save me from myself”, she sings, climbing into the tender reaches of her upper register, as pounding drums and tendriled riffs threaten to drag her down into the song’s fiery crypt. You’ll have to wait and hear the whole album to find out whether our hero survives this cliffhanger. But for now, one thing is already clear: with Where Gods Fear to Speak, Oceans of Slumber have recorded their masterpiece.
The visuals for the “Poem of Ecstasy” video were created by Masaya.
