Heliocentric (The Ocean album)

Heliocentric is the fourth studio album by the German metal band The Ocean, released on 9 April 2010.[3] The album marks the recording debut of vocalist Loïc Rossetti.[4] It is the first part of a double album about the critique of Christianity from different philosophical and personal angles, with its companion album, Anthropocentric, which was released on 9 November 2010 in North America.

Heliocentric
Studio album by
The Ocean
Released9 April 2010
RecordedLa Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, between April and December 2009
GenrePost-metal, sludge metal, progressive metal
Length50:58
LabelPelagic, Metal Blade
The Ocean chronology
Precambrian
(2007)		 Heliocentric
(2010)		 Anthropocentric
(2010)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Sputnikmusic[2]

Theme

The songs, art and lyrics of this album tell the story of the rise of the heliocentric world view - the idea that the earth revolves around the sun, and that the sun is stationary and at the center of the solar system. Nicolaus Copernicus and Galileo Galilei were the first popular ambassadors of this idea, although ancient Greek astronomers like Aristarchus had already posited this theory centuries before.

The journey starts with the creation of the firmament in Genesis 1:6-20 ("Firmament") and ancient explanations of the movement of celestial bodies in 1 Enoch 72:2-5 ("The First Commandment of the Luminaries"). It continues with Copernicus and Galileo, the first propagators of heliocentrism who were not yet in conflict with the Church ("Ptolemy Was Wrong") and Giordano Bruno, who was burnt at the stake of the Roman Inquisition for being a heretic ("Catharsis of a Heretic"). Arthur Rimbaud's's criticism of moral law in his essay Reasons Not to Believe in God and Nietzsche's rejection of fundamental Christian values has inspired the lyrics to "Metaphysics of the Hangman". The album concludes with the greatest achievement in the history of modern science, Darwin's theory of evolution ("The Origin of Species") and ideas inspired by evolution biologist and passionate atheist Richard Dawkins ("The Origin of God", "Epiphany").[5]

Its companion album, Anthropocentric, challenges the views of creationists and other modern fundamentalists who believe that the earth is at the center of the universe.

Music

Musically, Heliocentric covers the largest range of dynamics and styles to date: "There are a few really calm songs with mainly piano and vocals, as well as some crushing heavy tunes. There is a very special atmosphere to it that pervades the album", comments guitarist Jonathan Nido.

Heliocentric continues where the Proterozoic half of Precambrian left off, with dense, epic songs and big orchestrations. The vocals are the biggest departure from previous albums; they are mostly clean and are more soulful.

Recording

The albums were mainly recorded in the mountainous isolation of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. The band decided to record and mix the album with the band's house sound engineer Julien Fehlmann: "We wanted to be in control of every single detail, and we have an amazing studio at hand here. Soundwise this is by far the best-sounding album we have done to date".[6] Samples of the tracks were released on the band's website in February 2010.

Track listing

All music written and arranged by Robin Staps.

No.TitleLength
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"3:37
9."The Origin of Species"7:23
10."The Origin of God"4:33
Total length:50:58

Personnel

The Ocean
  • Luc Hess – drums
  • Louis Jucker – bass
  • Loïc Rossetti – vocals
  • Jonathan Nido – guitars
  • Robin Staps – guitars, electronics

Additional personnel
  • Esther Monnat – cello
  • Céline Portat – viola
  • Estelle Beiner – violin
  • Lionel Gafner – contrabass
  • Vincent Membrez – piano
  • Jérôme Correa – saxophone
  • Robert Gutowski – trombone
  • Hans Albert Staps – trumpet
  • James Yates – vibraphone
  • René Noçon – vocals on "Ptolemy Was Wrong"
  • Meta – harsh vocals on "Swallowed by the Earth"

References
  1. AllMusic review
  2. Sputnikmusic review
  3. Al (3 August 2011). "THE OCEAN ('Heliocentric' out now!!!) | Gratis muziek, tourneedata, foto's, video's". Blogs.myspace.com. Archived from the original on 9 July 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  4. "THE OCEAN announce upcoming album title & track listing, reveal details about upcoming 2 albums van THE OCEAN ('Heliocentric' out now!!!) op Myspace". Blogs.myspace.com. 1 February 2010. Archived from the original on 7 February 2009. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  5. "Metal-Blade-Records Merch, T-Shirts, Hoodies, CDs". District Lines. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  6. "Set Release Date // Friction Fest + Record Release Show With The Ocean Collective In Full! Van The Ocean ('Heliocentric' Out Now!!!) Op Myspace". Blogs.myspace.com. 7 May 2010. Archived from the original on 7 February 2009. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
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