Berlin-based the Ocean are an extreme music ensemble. Their hybrid sound joins progressive, atmospheric doom metal and electronica. Their music, always ferocious in execution, melds organic and electronic sounds with samples. They began an album series based on the earth's paleontological history with 2007's Precambrian. In 2010 they continued with two thematically linked titles, Heliocentric and Anthropocentric, reflecting on the sun and humankind's relationship to it. 2013's progressive Pelagial expanded those themes to include the sea, making it a standalone trilogy. 2018's Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic was a direct sequel to Precambrian and was followed by Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic/Cenozoic in 2020. The band's paleontology series concluded with 2023's Holocene.

Shy, Low are true masters of the exquisite craft of stark contrasts and broad dynamics, from delicate crescendos to the grandiose power of the riff… a craft that lies at the heart of every outstanding instrumental rock record. The Richmond, Virginia based three-piece has made an absolutely incredible and epic album brimming with creativity, groove, heaviness and truly outstanding songwriting, a record that is intricate and mature, yet gloriously anthemic and catchy at the same time.