“Peace within me is a lie by design.“
Starlight and Ash is an enigmatic album, shrouded in unexpected twists and turns with every song. It evokes a sense of awe and wonder while you are stupefied with your jaw gaping wide at what Oceans of Slumber have managed to record. No longer touting the metal aspect, Oceans of Slumber have bid farewell to the progressive riffs from their previous releases in favour of a more subtle, yet hard hitting approach. Starlight and Ash revolves more around the rock side of soundscapes than riff-driven metal. This ultimately works in favour of the band and in the grand scheme that is their fifth album.
Gone are the heavy and doomy riffs in favour of a more melodious and rhythm centric piano driven approach. While the change in sound is drastic, the heart and soul of the band is still as present and unwavering as on their previous releases. This stylistic change is akin to what Pain of Salvation has gone through going from In The Passing Light of Day to Panther. Contrary to their previous releases, vocalist Cammie Beverly’s voice is at the forefront here. Her skillful use of tone to convey emotions on every word escaping her mouth is no longer buried among riffs, truly glistening in a light of her own.
What sets this as the crown jewel in the band’s discography is also its length. Starlight and Ash is their shortest release till date, spanning just a little under fifty minutes. There have been some moments on their older releases where there is quite a bit of filler that, despite going well with the overall tone, ends up bloating the album. Discarding the bloated bits, this shorter formula of Starlight and Ash is super polished in every aspect, from the flow of the album to the tiny nuances of different tones of snare drums and smooth use of strings at times.
Keeping up with the tradition of including a cover with every album cycle, this time we’re greeted with “House of the Rising Sun”, a The Animal‘s cover. While the band has left no stone unturned in performing it in a unique way whilst still doing justice to the original, it does not fit well into the comprehensive soundscape of the album itself. It feels like a pointed stone jutting out of an otherwise serene ocean bed. That is practically my only gripe about the album, and it isn’t even a major one for by itself; the cover is amazing and shows a different side of the band’s soul, and perhaps a future direction they may tread towards.
It is as much as a lyrical journey as it is musical. It feels almost as if someone was reciting fabled poems out of an ancient tome. Mystical, empowering, and blissful all at the same time. The shift in styles is done tastefully despite being abrupt, which is a difficult thing to accomplish on its own, let alone deliver with such great highs. I can safely say that Starlight and Ash will stand the test of time and be celebrated years from now. A truly unique masterpiece that I solemnly wish doesn’t fly under the radar, for it is sure to mesmerize anyone who chooses to listen and, more importantly, feel what it has to offer.
9/10
Starlight and Ash is out this Friday, 22nd July, via Century Media Records, and you can preorder it here.