Release Date: October 20th 2023. Record Label: Self Released. Formats: CD/DD/Vinyl
SIlence By The Raging Sea - Tracklisting
1.Sink 07:45
2.Sailors 07:12
3.Pyre 10:39
4.Fever 05:18
5.Tidal Waves 07:47
6.Golden Bones 11:02
Members
Tony Duvillard : Drums
Nicolas Fabre : Guitar
Hugo Zepah : Bass & vocals
Review
Heavy Psych/Doom/Stoner Rockers Occult Hand Order new album Silence By The Raging Sea explores the Occult Rock mysticism with Psychedelic overtones with the band occasionally leaning into the Classic Rock revival scene and adding the modern day Cosmic based Stoner attitudes that reminds me of their fellow countrymen Mars Red Sky.
Occult Hand Order play heavy Post-Rock sounds on this album with the band always being three steps ahead of the game when bringing a heavy aggressive groove to the album which shines superbly through on the stunning opening track of Sink. This track sees Occult Hand Order playing gloomy atmospheric sounds with a lush Post-Rock flow with the band playing multiple waves of this outstanding slice of Progressive themes allowing the album to have an original sound of its own.
The majority of the tracks on the album runs between seven minutes to eleven minutes in length. So expect Occult Hand Order to play a more cinematic and progressive style of music which sees the band touch upon many different areas of the Doom/Stoner Metal sound. Despite the OCCULT being listed within their name, there’s not many OCCULT based grooves on this album with the band relying solely on COSMIC and SPACED OUT sounds. The album is gloomy with a constant Doom Metal feeling but Occult Hand Order is an album that has a grounded realistic feeling with the backdrop of Psychedelic Stoner Metal allowing the album to become aggressively heavy at the most perfect and intense moments.
Standout tracks on the album include: Sailors, Pyre, Tidal Waves and Golden Bones with Occult Hand Order exploring different levels of creative storytelling within these tracks being the highlights of the album. The instrumental work is thrilling and vital throughout with the band showing a keen ear for Seventies Prog Rock and even sentimental lyrics showing a different side to Occult Hand Order.
Silence By The Raging Sea is vastly different to their acclaimed debut album The Chained The Burned The Wounded from 2020. This takes the listener onto a more progressive journey with more melodic passages and trippy extended jams that leaves little to the imagination. The album also has a transcendental and therapeutic quality within both the melodic and aggressive sludge-fuelled jams that Occult Hand Order are quite exceptional at playing.
The record has Post-Metal royalty Magnus Lindberg (Cult Of Luna) on mastering duties which gives the album a different sound and feeling compared to their previous releases. Roman Peyr returns once more to complete recording and mixing duties where he delivers once again for Occult Hand Order. So the album sounds wonderful from start to finish which is perhaps down to the stellar work that Magnus and Roman have done for this album.
However, this is Occult Hand Order’s moment of glory to shine and they do this by delivering one of the most refreshing and diverse Heavy Psychedelic Rock albums of the year.
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Shake Promotion for the promo.
Silence By The Raging Sea is available to buy now on CD/DD/Vinyl
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