Ocean - Here Where Nothing Grows
2005 Important Records

Track Listing:
1.  First Reign Of Forever
2.  Salt
3.  The Fall

Line-Up:
Vocals:  Candy
Guitars:  JL, Candy
Bass:  Reuben J. Little
Drums:  Eric Brackett

Website:  www.oceanofdoom.com

Shev's Rating:  A-
Overall Album Rating:  A-

Shev's Review:
Maine isn't exactly a hot spot of epic doom, so it kind of comes as a surprise that Ocean calls the state of lobsters, moose, and potatoes home.  Upon first glance, I noticed that "Here Where Nothing Grows" is over an hour long and only contains three songs...the shortest of which, "Salt", is a cool nineteen and a half minutes long.  I kind of figured I already knew what I was in for before I even heard it.  Luckily I passed judgement way too quickly, and I suppose it takes a band from a lesser-known-for-it's-metal state to really come up with something like this that will not disappoint the normal fans of droopy-eyed doom, yet offer enough of a distinction from the rest of the genre to make it stand out on it's own.

While these guys have essentially established their own sound, the easiest way to describe Ocean would be a cross between Buried At Sea and Sunn 0))).  This is one painfully slow and emotionally depressing heavy slab of doom.  Most notable is the lack of a lot of vocals, but when present they'll use a crawling growl which fits in well with the rest of the music.  Overall it seems like the sludgy doom genre is beginning to get a little overcrowded, so it's always nice to hear a band like Ocean that will build on the basics but deliver the goods.  Remember this name, because in the near future I won't be surprised to see them develop into one of the more respected names of the genre.
Shev's Rating:  A-

Discography (last updated 12.15.05):
Monument/Fork Lashing Eye demo - 2004
Here Where Nothing Grows - 2005