Oceans & Omens continue their epic narrative with "II: Aether," blending old-school metalcore and fantasy-driven themes. We dive into their storytelling and musical evolution.
1.
Oceans & Omens’ music is deeply narrative-driven, with your latest album
II: Aether continuing the saga of The Survivor. Could you tell us more about
the story behind this album and how it connects to your previous release, I:
Descent?
Rowan: ‘Aether’ picks up immediately after ‘From The Deep’ (the last track on
‘Descent’). After refusing to let death take him and being claimed by our
ancient, coral-encrusted reptilian leviathan, The Survivor comes to in an
otherworldly landscape of barren wastes and gaping chasms. This is Limbo, the
realm between realms. It divides the world of mortals (the physical realm) and
the afterlife (the spiritual realm). You could almost view it as purgatory if
you want to put a biblical spin on things. For the duration of ‘Aether’ we
follow the survivor through his trials and tribulations within this haunted
realm and experience his mind-bending discoveries and apocalyptic revelations.
2. Your band blends old-school metalcore with melodic hooks and
groove-driven riffs. How do you strike the balance between aggression and
melody in your songwriting process?
Rowan: Every song has a “feel” I guess. The story pans out as a cinematic
scenescape in my head and each scene gets rendered down into a song. The mood
of the depicted section of the story influences the tone of the music. I go
into each song with a vague idea of what I want it to sound like and some
preliminary ideas but, as I write and as it evolves, I may come up with riffs
and melodies that are rock solid but don’t fit the feel of what’s currently
going on at that point of the story. These get put in the riff bank for later
and pulled out when they fit the theme. It makes for a bit of a protracted
writing process but if I wanted “easy” I would just write two and a half
minutes of breakdowns and chugs.
3. The concept of gods, demons, and the end of days plays a central role in
your music. What inspired you to weave these themes into your work, and how do
they influence the overall sound of the band?
Sean: Our band is made up of a bunch of fantasy nerds. Kieran, our drummer, is
a Tolkien nut and Rowan churns through books like there’s no tomorrow. No joke,
we’re talking novels so large you could beat someone to death with them. We all
watch Game of Thrones, Halo, Wheel of Time, Vikings, etc. So, having all our
music based around one continuing concept makes complete sense, it’s just how
we’re wired. We have a very epic, lengthy story to tell and so much we want to
share hence we will keep chipping away at it.
4. You mentioned that the metalcore genre is often saturated with themes like depression and failed relationships, and that Oceans & Omens aims to offer something different. How do you think your fantasy-driven narratives set you apart from other bands in the genre?
Rowan: Metal is such an epic, dynamic and emotive genre of music that it deserves a topic of suitable gravitas. There is nothing wrong with writing songs about everyday things like relationships and personal experiences, plenty of bands do it. But if you have the choice of writing about your last break up or a titanic struggle against hordes of pit-spawned demons intent on the annihilation of all of humanity, then I know which one I would rather write about…
5. Your debut album II: Aether was well-received within the Perth metal scene. What was the creative process like for this album, and how did the band evolve from your earlier releases?
Rowan: Given that ‘Descent’ was written back in 2012-2014 in the band’s first incarnation as ‘To The Depths’, a ten year hiatus played a part in the development of the sound. We are all older, hopefully wiser and have experienced a fair bit more of life over the intervening decade. ‘Limbo’ and ‘Desolation’ were written within that time frame, and you can tell I was going through a bit of a rough patch because those two tracks in particular are pretty dark. The rest of the album came together in fairly short order once Kieran and I got back together and decided to breathe new life into the project, resulting in ‘Oceans & Omens’ being given a second life. Back in the day we were very much influenced by all the early 2000’s metalcore floating around but I think with ‘Aether’ we have developed much more of our own signature sound with a bit more songwriting experience under the belt.
6. Can you share the significance of the album title II: Aether and how it ties into the overarching story of The Survivor?
Rowan: It’s the realm between realms, the not alive but not dead. The dwelling place of the god of destruction and the mustering ground for his hordes of darkness. If the afterlife is the everlasting peace granted to a soul in death, then Limbo (Aether) is where you really don’t want to end up. I guess the term “Aether” conjures up images of ethereal beings, spiritual manifestations and inter-dimensional deities…. seemed an appropriate title for the album.
7. Sean O’Brien’s dynamic vocal range is a standout feature of your music. How do you approach integrating vocals with the intricate, rhythmic instrumentation in your songs?
Sean: Our song writing starts with Rowan. He’ll have the riffs and song structure fully worked out before I hear any of it. So, I get to listen to an instrumental demo and with that, it usually seems quite obvious to me how the vocals need to sound. For example, there are a few passages in the second half of the album where I lean into clean singing. It’s because the instrumentation was written in a way that screaming or growling just wouldn’t make sense. The theme and lyrical content of the album explores a broad spectrum of emotions and storytelling; therefore, I’ve done my best to convey this with a broad range of vocal techniques.
8. Your live performances have been gaining traction, particularly with your headlining show at Amplifier. How do you translate the epic narrative and intense energy of your music into your live shows?
Sean: I try to act as a storyteller while performing. I do behave a lot like a typical metalcore vocalist, banging my head and working up the crowd. However, I also try to inject a touch of theatre as well, with grand hand gestures and dramatic inflections. In some passages, I feel more like I’m voice acting rather than singing a song. I know the vast majority of the crowd has no idea what the story behind the music is, but I hope they’ll be captivated by my performance and perceive something a little different to what they’re used to. The rest of the band generally just goes nuts and they do a bang-up job of it too!
9. The band has shared the stage with acts like Banks Arcade and Patient Sixty-Seven. How have these experiences influenced your approach to performing and connecting with your audience?
Sean: I look up to both of those bands. They’re obviously passionate about their craft and work bloody hard at it. Patient Sixty-Seven has absolutely nailed their online presence and it serves as a good reminder that bands have an awesome opportunity in this day and age to connect with people from all over the world like never before. Running a band can feel like a real slog sometimes, especially when trying to balance it with work, family and everything else going on in life. I recently found out that Joshua from Banks Arcade competes as a mixed martial artist. Imagine staying fighting fit while on the road in a touring band! It’s inspiring and shows that a person really can achieve a hell of a lot if they have discipline and focus. Passion helps too, it’s what drives our band. Every performance and every kind word from our wonderful audience helps to fuel that passion.
10. Fantasy and metal often go hand in hand, but your approach to storytelling seems particularly immersive. What are some of the literary or cinematic influences that have shaped the world you’ve created in your music?
Rowan: Like I said prior, things like Game of Thrones (the books as well as the tv series) and The Lord of the Rings are big influences. Themes from games like God of War and Gears of War insinuate themselves into the narrative. Fantasy authors like Brandon Sanderson with his ‘Storm light Archive’ and Anthony Ryans ‘Draconis Memoria’ play a large role in world building. And let’s face it, at the end of the day who doesn’t want to see a giant, interdimensional, deep dwelling sea dragon wading through hordes of screaming, blood-frenzied demons laying waste to civilisation as we know it?
11. As Oceans & Omens continues to grow within the Perth music scene, what challenges have you faced, and how have you overcome them to establish your presence?
Sean: As I alluded to before, the hardest thing is juggling the band with everything else in life. Oceans & Omens is made up of adults with jobs, responsibilities and other passions outside of music. The only way we make this project work is with everybody chipping in, all hands on deck. Then there’s just perseverance and not being afraid to play a few gigs where it might seem like there’s nobody in the crowd except crickets and a ball of tumbleweed, but you might find one die-hard fan at a gig like that. At our recent launch show, it seemed like everybody who’d attended those little gigs over the past four years all came together at once and celebrated our album launch with a packed house.
12. Looking ahead, what can fans expect from the next chapter in The Survivor’s saga? Are there any new musical directions or story developments on the horizon for Oceans & Omens?
Rowan: I was already four songs into the next instalment of the story before ‘Aether’ was even released. Getting a head start seemed prudent since the writing of the material tends to take a while. Not to mention I’m a bit of a diva when it comes to everything being ‘just so’. The story is about to delve into themes of moral and spiritual corruption and almost acts as an allegory to what is currently going on in the world and what has led to the downfall of empires and dynasties in the distant past. Hubris, greed and the abuse of power all play their parts, and I guess you could sum it up by saying that the next release focuses of the erosion of humanity’s moral fibre. How said attrition opens our souls to the influences of The Aether and begins to break down the barriers separating the world of life from the realm of darkness. Have no fear, it may sound very political but all the blood and destruction is just around the corner.
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