The Ocean Collective has emerged with the announcement of its new album: Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic which has a set release date of November 2 from their label Metal Blade Records. One record off the track, “Permian: The Great Dying” can be streamed currently online. The song is over nine minutes long and proves to keep listeners captivated the entire time. 

According to Daily Mail, the phrase, “The Great Dying” is what scientists also use to refer to the asteroid that killed over 96% of life on Earth around 250 million years ago. A first time listener may think that the band uses this as a metaphor for a love that has died, as the lead singer laments in the lyrics that someone is “no longer next to them.” Jumping from more fast-paced and heavy instrumentals in the beginning and ends of the song, the middle is more melodious, with the beat guided by more subtle electronic vibrations in the background. The slower portions of the song include the lead singer iterating how he can feel the coldness around him, and how he wishes he and the mystery “other” he is talking about could “freeze together.” The description is likened to that of death, as, like the song’s title, experiencing the absence of a someone important can be equated to a “great dying.”

Guitarist and primary songwriter Robin Staps relates the album themes more directly with the environment itself, mentioning the impact of Global Warming on the world’s temperatures in an interview with Girlie Action. The Ocean’s lyrics have historically been extremely well thought out with thought provoking lyrics referencing various themes.

The progressive metal band, known for its strong vocals, vibrant lyrics and the interesting titles of all its works thus far, last released the album Pelagial in 2013. It’s most recent EP, titled the Transcendental Split was released in 2015. Such a long period of time between projects may very well have left some fans of Ocean on edge for their next release, and the first part of the two part album, Phanerozoic I, has finally been made into a reality. The second portion of the 2-part album, Phanerozoic II, is set to be released in the following year, 2019.

The tracklist for Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic can be found below:

1. “The Cambrian Explosion”
2. “Cambrian II: Eternal Recurrence”
3. “Ordovicium: The Glaciation of Gondwana”
4. “Silurian: Age of Sea Scorpions”
5. “Devonian: Nascent”
6. “The Carboniferous Rainforest Collapse”
7. “Permian: The Great Dying”