Following on from two initial releases (including the particularly realised for the time Hikari), Oceans Ate Alaska in 2017 were a young band who had quickly shown huge levels of promise for bigger things to come. So, the fact the band had not followed up quickly (global pandemic of course not helping matters) feels somewhat surprising considering the momentum that was behind them.
With the surprise announcement only a few weeks ago of a follow-up (also the first since vocalist James Harrison re-joined the band), the question is, can Disparity (Fearless Records) see them jump back on that wave of before?
It takes all of ten seconds of album opener ‘Paradigm’ to mark their return with full force; and with an album duration of just over thirty minutes, it is also apparent that they are marking their return without anything superfluous; Disparity is all about the strive for immediacy.
The aforementioned ten seconds being the rare hint at atmospherics before the album erupts into familiar yet form that strides the line between modern metalcore and more tech-metal sounds.
As the album progresses, whilst it does not offer anything wildly innovative, it does encompass some diversity in its overall sound that aren’t disparate yet are, most importantly, executed strongly.
‘Nova’ for example manages a few shifts in pace and style throughout, from a colossal deathcore-style breakdown to a soaring clean vocal passage, managing to flow so fluidly. The contrast is also as abundant in the instrumentation throughout as much as it is in the vocals, offering diversity throughout. ‘Shallow Graves’ shows a technical streak with sweeping guitar licks throughout whilst bolstering the hugely melodic chorus. On the flipside, ‘Dead Behind The Eyes’ (featuring Eric Vanlerberghe of I Prevail) wouldn’t sound out of place on an early Job For A Cowboy album for the most part.
As previously mentioned, it has been a long five years since OAA last graced us with a full-length release, one that cemented high hopes for the band. It has been a long five years since then for a multitude of reasons and one that has clearly seen change for the band, both in the return of original vocalist and clearly in their growth in songwriting.
Disparity isn’t a hugely innovative album, but it doesn’t set out to be; the diversity it showcases melds sublimely throughout and hints that there should be plenty more from them going forward.
An ultimately enjoyable and welcome return from a shining light in the UK scene.
Buy the album here: https://found.ee/disparity
7 / 10
CHRIS TIPPELL