Oceans of Slumber – The Banished Heart

There are certain bands out there that take regular elements and somehow concoct greatness. Oceans of Slumber, hailing from Texas, is one of them. I came across them in 2015 when they released the excellent single from their then upcoming album Winter (really… click that link, I dare you). I also got the unexpected chance to see them live at Rockstadt Fest Indoor edition 2016. So where does this all leave us in 2018, when they released their newest material, The Banished Heart.

Well, to be frank, I may have had unreasonably high expectations for this album, and given the band’s penchant to go in unexpected directions, I was unsure of the outcome. What they have unleashed upon the world is a 64 minute heart-wrenching ode to personal loss. Overall, the album is a much somber affair than their previous material, dealing with singer Cammie Gilbert‘s father battle with cancer and drummer Dobber Beverly‘s (Insect Warfare, yes the old-school grind band) struggles, including losing everything during hurricane Harvey. The band’s more galloping sensibilities have given way to blues-tinged doom passages working consistently towards, I would say, a cathartic affect for everything the members have gone through.

This is the first time that I’m running into this issue, so I’ll complain here: there is no online version of the song I originally wanted to cover, At Dawn.  And also I can’t say this album has clicked with me enough to warrant a full review. I don’t know, maybe it’s just too gloomy for me right now, because musically it’s absolutely stellar. That doesn’t mean you can get away without hearing at least a track from it.

The title track The Banished Heart, has been released by the band as a single from the album, and wisely so. It encompasses completely the mood of the entire thing, while also highlighting the defining aspects: soaring vocals, melancholic piano passages, pummeling drums and overall personal anguish. I’ll let you be the judge, but for me at least, this track runs a bit longer than it should. The individual movements of this almost 10 minute monster are very well thought out, but, in my humble opinion, they should have been split into 2 or 3 individual, more fleshed out songs. Still that doesn’t detract form the gorgeous vocal performance from Cammie, rivaling Anneke van Giersbergen in both delivery and pathos.

In conclusion, get your hands on this album, and listen to At Dawn to get a glimpse of what Oceans of Slumber really has to offer, especially contrasting Cammie’s vocals with truly furious american doom metal.

Cheers!