Oceans Of Sadness
Mirror Palace

THE REVIEW

The distinctive elements of Oceans Of Sadness's sound can clearly be traced back to a defined circle of bands, but not in the sense that one is forced to talk about soulless imitators or copycats, but rather a shared belonging to an ethnic branch. It's a bit like wanting to indicate a series of affinities while at the same time claiming one's own identity, also because in the case of the Belgian band we are talking about a sextet that has been around for over ten years and has already released three full-length works, so everything rests on a solid past.

If we want to express ourselves in terms of genres, we could define "Mirror Palace" as an album that thrives on the union and interpenetration of different styles, be it prog metal, atmospheric doom, melodic/symphonic black, and Scandinavian death, but do not overlook a certain epic/psychedelic rock appeal. This, translated into names, brings us to talk about Amorphis, Pain Of Salvation, Opeth, Katatonia, Dimmu Borgir, Dream Theater, and Neurosis (the less apocalyptic ones), but the presence of the cover of "Them Bones" by Alice in Chains also highlights another peculiarity you must consider, as well as the dichotomy that characterizes the writing of Oceans Of Sadness, with accelerated parts alternating with slowdowns and narrative sound sections.

Positive.