…And Oceans – As in Gardens, so in Tombs

Seasons of Mist    Release date: January 27, 2023

…And Oceans have been part of the Finnish metal scene for a long time, basically since 1989, playing as a death metal band named Festerday the following three years, then the intermediate phases as Havoc Unit 2005-2013 and again as Festerday 2913-2020. Moreover, …and Oceans back in 1998 was still rather industrial-oriented. In the meantime, the style has developed into Symphonic Black Metal, which already sums up the sound of this album.

Another thing that fans of this genre should find attractive:  mastermind and the last remaining founding member, guitarist Timo Kontio, was able to win over a certain Mathias Lillmåns as singer and lyricist. The latter was supposed to act as guitar producer of the 2020 album “Cosmic World Mother” only, but joined the band soon after. And he fits into the band so well, it’s hard to believe he’s only been with them  for such a short time …

“As in Gardens, so in Tombs” is completely dedicated to Epic Extreme Black Metal: mostly brutal high speed attacks combined with catchy melodies, which continue the Cosmic World Mother theme. Personally, I enjoy the groove stuff best, which makes Ambivalent God my fave on this album. From the band’s point of view, this album is a bit more lyrical, melodic and offers more details than its predecessor; I notice keyboard vignettes, for example, that could also come from Mathias’ main band Finntroll. The massive overall sound is the result of the producers involved, Juho Räihä from SoundSpiral Audio and Tore Stjerna from NBS Production (mastering).

To put it bluntly, if you like Dimmu & Co, this is the album for you. This is not really my favourite genre, therefore I am struggling to find comparison parameters, but I think is worth at least 8,5 out of 10.

Track-list:
1. As in Gardens, so in Tombs (4:17)
2. The Collector and His Construct (4:36)
3. Within Fire and Crystal (5:52)
4. Carried on Lead Wings (5:14)
5. Likt Törnen Genom Kött (5:10)
6. Cloud Heads (4:19)
7. Wine into Water (3:57)
8. Inverse Magnification Matrix (4:50)
9. The Earth Canvas (4:11)
10. Ambivalent God (7:44)
Bonus:
11. Samlarens Valv (3:49)
12. Third Eye Catalyst (4:28)
Total: 58:27

Line-up
Timo Kontio – Guitar
Mathias Lillmåns – Vocals
Teemu Saari – Guitar
Pyry Hanski – Bass
Kauko Kuusisalo – Drums
Antti Simonen – Keyboards