Oceans of Night – Domain (2011)

Keeping up with the Progressive Metal/Rock releases we received recently, today we have Oceans of Night’s second full-length release titled “Domain”. This duo from the USA deliver and action-packed 63 minutes of pure Progressive/Power Metal excellence divided in 10 tracks. Featuring multi-instrumentalist Scott Mosher and vocalist Scott Oliva, this album delivers a hefty dosage of crunchy guitars and very well crafted atmospheric elements that sets them apart from the rest.

 The opening track “Domain” clocks in at a massive 17 minutes, signaling the beginning of a very rich and diverse journey through the music of Oceans of Night. In this track the crunchy guitars are a notable difference from your traditional prog music, and the atmospheric keyboards add a futuristic tone to the overall track. Oliva’s vocals are excellent, filled with emotion and nicely bringing the lyrics to life. The drumming is very well structured, and while neither of the band members play the drums, they brought in a session drummer to have that natural sound.

“Don’t Look to Me” and “So Near Yet So Far” are very traditional Power Metal pieces with Progressive elements and the band’s characteristic atmospheric component. However, the distorted guitars still seem a bit too crunchy and they start to sound weird with the music. We are sure this is an intentional thing, but sounds a bit weird in our book. The solos and clean sections sound just right, but when the distortion kicks in, some other elements are overshadowed.

The atmospheric track “Dreams in Artificial Sunlight” is very melodic and here, the distorted guitars work better than in most of the tracks. Our two favorite tracks of this album are the lush and cinematic “Seven Days of Rain” and “The View to You”. In both of these songs, Oceans of Night deliver a perfect combination of fast-paced sections with soaring vocals, all wrapped around very ethereal keyboards.

Reminding us of Ayreon, “The Future Remembered” is a mostly instrumental, atmospheric track that nicely continues the album’s vibe and emphasizes the band’s ability to craft small tracks that extend the album concept between full-fledged songs. Closing with “Ghosts of the Past”, the band has done a great job in exploiting their atmospheric uniqueness and the very diverse vocals of Oliva.

Overall, we have to say that we haven’t quite listened to anything like “Domain” before. The band focuses a lot on the atmospheric side of things and this clearly sets them apart. While there might be some similarities to bands like Ayreon and Dol Theeta, Oceans of Night is clearly in their own category. If you are interested in an album that features a powerful combination of Progressive/Power Metal and atmospheric elements, “Domain” is the release for you.

Release: November 14th, 2011

Country: USA