REVIEW: Oceans Ate Alaska “Lost Isles”
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Oceans Ate Alaska has made quite the name for themselves running the scene without a label to support them. However, with the backing of Fearless Records the band is ready to take over the world on a brand new level. With an infectious mix of brutal and melodic metalcore, Lost Isles is one of the first truly great debut albums of 2015. They manage to take the best of the genre and give their own unique spin on it with every track. While not completely free of some of the clichés that plague the genre at times, this is a truly solid effort from the Birmingham natives.
Unexpectedly heavy to new listeners, OAA is a headbanging monster from start to finish. Every track is an anthem that forces you off your ass and onto your feet in an instant. The riffs shred your ears to pieces, the blast of the drums blow your eardrums to oblivion, and the piercing vocals soothe your brain into a squishy gelatinous mess. Borrowing heavy influence from metalcore mainstays Bring Me The Horizon and Asking Alexandria, Oceans Ate Alaska has taken the established metalcore sound from their fellow Europeans and made it all their own for the most part. There is still some generic feel to this album, including the well overdone electronic glitch/breakdown in multiple songs. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, but there needs to be something different done with the technique to make it mind blowing again. It just feels like the same old thing metalcore acts have been utilizing for years now. The lyrical content, while well written, also feels too familiar at times. The writing is what truly saves that from being a full blown negative, but I feel much more could’ve been done to make these topics something refreshing in a genre filled with songs about self-empowerment and lost love.
Despite these complaints, I can’t find much else to truly fault about this otherwise stellar release. The musical element is on point, the vocals are top notch, and the entire package is great from start to finish. I would highly recommend this to any fans of the genre, and that includes anyone reading this.
