The Ocean inhabit the same realm as bands like Isis, Mastodon, and Neurosis, bands that transcend their genres and blend a number of different metal styles. In the case of the Ocean, the band melds the crushing rhythmic heaviness of Meshuggah with the post-rock leanings of Isis. Aeolian is thus a very dense record, and it took me quite a few listens to fully “get” what they were trying to accomplish. The music ebbs and flows but maintains the heaviness almost throughout. One fault I can find is the lack of variation. The few moments when the pedal is taken off the gas are actually the highlights of album. “Queen of the Food Chain,” my favorite track on the disc has a strong Isis feel to it, with tribal drumming and a slow buildup to a satisfying climax. I also enjoyed the choral samples thrown in on some tracks towards the end. The band’s inspirations lyrically are, like their influences, quite varied. Crushing opener “The City in the Sea,” a seven and a half minute tour-de-force of brutality, is based on, of all things, a poem by Edgar Allen Poe, while “necrobabes.com” seems to draw inspiration from a pornographic website. To answer the question I posed at the beginning of the review, the album does not quite live up to the magnificent packaging, but it comes close. Progressive and epic in scope, and with challenging compositions, Aeolian is a tough nut to crack; yet it will reward those who come back for more listens.

written by Scott Huffard

Playing time: 52.54