How many people were expecting the sound of “Starlight And Ash” in 2022? Probably very few. This album saw Oceans Of Slumber completely moving away from their extreme prog nature and put out an atmospheric rock score. Staying true to the pattern of releasing something new every two years, the Texans’ sixth full-length finds them returning to their familiar identity to some extent.
There are parts that remind us of the previous album, but passed through a heavier prism, like “Wish” or “The Given Dream” for example. The variety in the compositions and the prog mentality come back, and so do the more extreme parts in their music. Cammie Gilbert is once again amazing as she not only does a tremendous job with her clean vocals but also tries death growls for the first time and the result is excellent. She is helped in this by two huge personalities in the scene, Fernando Ribeiro of Moonspell on “Run From The Light” and Mikael Stanne of Dark Tranquillity on “Prayer”.
Generally, “Where Gods Fear To Speak” shows a band which once again doesn’t get complacent and creates something which has elements both from “Starlight And Ash” and from the rest of its discography, but without the complexity in the compositions. It’s an album that combines the calmer and more atmospheric side of their music as well as the more extreme side, but with the scales tipping more towards the former. It’s also easier to listen to it than, for example, “The Banished Heart”, which will allow them to open to a wider audience.
Either way, one thing is for sure. Oceans Of Slumber have so far found a way to surprise us and keep our interest with every new release and hopefully they will continue to do so. Also, it’s worth mentioning that they continue the tradition with their special covers. Here they chose Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Game”, in a version with just piano and vocals. Finally, the wonderful cover artwork is once again a creation of Giannis Nakos (Remedy Art Design).
