The Ocean
Heliocentric

THE REVIEW

There are works that go beyond the very concept of music. They are countless, for various reasons, for personal feelings, for tastes, for convention. There are people who consider music not only a form of art, but rather the promulgation of art itself, of culture.

Heliocentric is this. It is not just a record, but a complex work in which the different band members have poured all their knowledge to craft a cultural piece. It is not up to me to decide whether the themes tackled are more or less valid concerning what they aim to hit. Undoubtedly, however, Heliocentric opens up a series of musical, philosophical, and religious reflections that make this album not precisely an album...

Let's start with the title. Heliocentrism is one of the most famous astronomical theories according to which the Sun is at the center of the universe, with the planets revolving around it. A theory that, when perfected by Copernicus (it was already conceived by some ancient astronomers), caused immense controversies in the religious sphere, which from its side supported the opposing geocentric theory (Earth at the center of the universe). The formulation of this hypothesis, which found several followers, generated a climate of violence that led the Church to exile some scientists and the execution of others.

The Ocean start again precisely from these decisions of the Church, both to defend those who were right and to directly accuse the Vatican. Much like what Quorthon did with the Bathory project, accusing Christianity of imposing its beliefs in Scandinavia only through violence and the imposition of new trends.

After the creation of "Firmament", the German group addresses in "The First Commandment of the Luminaries" the movement of celestial bodies, moving on to Galilean and Copernican theories in "Ptolemy Was Wrong". In "Catharsis of a Heretic" the reference is to Giordano Bruno, condemned to the stake by the Church in 1600. The album continues its course analyzing both scientific and religious theories and beliefs. The last two tracks are the most explanatory in this regard: "The Origin of Species" and "The Origin of God" echo what was previously said but do so with a musical and conceptual strength that elevates this album to one of the best releases of 2010.

Conceptually, Heliocentric is undoubtedly a complex and, in a certain sense, also provocative work. A maze of emotions where The Ocean abandon part of the violence that characterized them in the past to "soften" various passages, like the ballad "Ptolemy Was Wrong", where the voice of vocalist Loic Rossetti emerges. For the first time, indeed, the band has decided to choose a single vocalist to entrust with the role of singer.

Beyond the score one could assign to such a work, we must wait for the follow-up to this record, which will be published in October of this year under the title "Anthropocentric". By listening to the ideal continuation of the progressive, dreamlike, distorted, and philosophical atmospheres of Heliocentric, we could have a more complete overall idea. The fact remains that this Heliocentric, despite its complex structure and some negligible passages, proves to be a work studied in the smallest detail, possessing a great sonic and thematic impact.

Now we just have to wait for October.

1. "Shamayim" (1:53)
2. "Firmament" (7:29)
3. "The First Commandment Of The Luminaries" (6:47)
4. "Ptolemy Was Wrong" (6:28)
5. "Metaphysics Of The Hangman" (5:41)
6. "Catharsis Of A Heretic" (2:08)
7. "Swallowed By The Earth" (4:59)
8. "Epiphany" (3:21)
9. "The Origin Of Species" (7:23)
10. "The Origin Of God" (4:34)