The Ocean
+ special guest
With the album “Solaris”, a new era begins for The Ocean. The twelfth studio album from this influential post-metal band is an ambitious, nearly seventy-minute journey that weaves together dystopian science fiction, a historical spirit of discovery, and existential questions.
Following the 2023 release of “Holocene”, The Ocean underwent significant changes. A revamped international line-up, featuring vocalists Lane Shi and Enrico Tiberi, guitarists Emmanuel Jessua and Marco Gennaro, founding guitarist Robin Staps, bassist Mattias Hägerstrand, and drummer Jordi Farré, has infused the band with fresh energy and new musical dynamics. Their diverse backgrounds and talents enhance The Ocean’s signature atmospheric post-metal sound, elevating it to a new level.
Inspired by Andrei Tarkovsky’s film “Solaris” and historical accounts of explorers such as Da Gama, Magellan, and Sir Francis Drake, the album examines the cost of progress and the human drive to explore the unknown. Where does the line between discovery and domination lie? And what do we leave behind in our quest for answers?
The recording sessions took place at the legendary Hansa Studios in Berlin, with contributions from artists including Thorsten Quaeschning of Tangerine Dream, Orestis Zafiriou, and Simen Eifring. The inclusion of synthesizers, piano, celesta, Rhodes, Hammond organ, and trombone lends the album a rich, distinctive character.
With its compelling narrative and themes, a versatile line-up, and an exceptional physical release, “Solaris” is an album that only The Ocean could conceive, produce, and bring to life.
