Branching out to involve a couple of genres to create a fusion of sorts, OCEAN ENCOUNTERS have made one all their own. That would be something along the lines within the metal category. Thus, forth they would go on to release an EP and album as well. New music is always an in game plan, along with these guys just wanting to get their music heard is all. Discover what else was had within the chat below.
1. Please tell us about the history of your band and its members.
So we started in a small town in Belgium back in 2015. Quentin (the drummer), Greg (one of the guitarists) got together with our first guitarist and singer and started jamming. Mutual love for heavy hitting breakdowns and epic intros being the unifying factor. They put out the word they were looking for a bassist. Pieter was a teacher at the time and one of his students knew Greg, and asked him if he played bass. He went to a rehearsal and by the end of the first practice the 5 of them had fleshed out a song. The rest is history.
2. What’s the origin of the band’s name?
Ocean themed names were quite huge when we started. And because we like a big sound, and tales of epic struggles in our lyrics, we thought of that feeling of awe and powerlessness you have when you get stuck in a rough patch of waves while playing in the water. A true sense of encountering something bigger than yourself in an ocean. So, Ocean Encounters.
3. Where is the band based out of and what is your music scene like there? Are there any local bands you could recommend?
We started in the Belgian town/city of Tournai/Doornik close to the French border. Ironically the music scene used to be massive. People would drive hours to come to the punk/hardcore shows in town. But in recent years the local government has made massive cuts to their cultural budgets, since those are the first things to go in tough economic times. So now in town there are just a few bars that still do shows, but no real stages or music halls designed for live shows. Those take place in the bigger cities nearby (Kortrijk, Lille, Mons)
Huge shout out to the guys in Stand For, Afar and The Bearded Bastards.
4. How would you describe your style?
With a musical style that's inspired by a wide plethora of different genres, it's hard to put this group into a single defined genre, placing them firmly among the original "modern djentcore" groups of the region fusing all the heaviest rhythmic sections of djent with melodic vocals and soaring chords of metalcore, they fill in the gaps with the occasional machine-gun rap verse and succeed in bringing together the best of all worlds. With songs like "Mad Captain" and "Disappoint" Ocean Encounters puts their heaviest foot forward and shows what they're made of, with both songs offering a wide and dynamic range of everything the modern metal sound incorporates.
5. What have you released so far and what can someone expect from your works?
So far we've released a 3-title EP “Clock” and an 8-title album “Anchored”. We aim to hit that sweet spot of reliable heavy hitters, but tucked in a new suit. So you're comfortable but not bored by constant easy expectations. Sometimes we'll let the expected push through (a solid 0-0-0-0-0-0-1-1-1-0-0-0-0 breakdown ALWAYS goes down smooth), but sometimes we intentionally try to throw people off with some melody, or poly-rhythmic sections that will surprise.
We also have a bi-weekly vlog on our YouTube channel. We enjoy keeping the people up to date with our weekly happenings as a band. We want to show our processes as a band and how we get from point A to point B. So that's going to pick back up again once the content we have planned for the album has all been put out.
6. Do you have any new music in the works?
Actually confinement has done wonders for our creativity. Since three of our members work in the service industry, and the two others were working from home we've been cooped up for the better part of the lat three months. And since we all have varying levels of home studios we've been able to write tunes and share them with each other on a weekly basis, so we have half a new album almost ready to go!
7. How about playing shows and touring, have anything planned out?
Now that we have an album on the books we really want to get a tour on its feet. We were poised to get some shows linked together this summer but the confinement came in like Miley on her wrecking ball and tore it all down. But we haven't lost hope. We're preparing to pick it all up once things simmer down a little.
8. What plans do you have for the future as a band?
Immediate goal is to get a multi-week tour organized. We have all the necessities, now we just need to get it rolling. The ultimate shared goal for everyone is to make a living off of this stuff. We don't need fame and fortune, but just get the machine of album/tour/album/tour rolling. No matter how crappy the van or how rickety the bus. We want to take our music to the people. Even if it means living out of a sleeping bag for a month or two at a time. I think we'd all itch our jobs immediately if it meant guaranteed touring dates.
9. Where can we listen to your band and where can we buy your stuff?
All major music streaming services carry our music. YouTube, Spotify, Google Play, Apple Music. The vlog and all our videos are also available on our YouTube channel.
10. What is it you’d like a listener to remember the most when hearing your music for the first time?
That our music won't be chart-hitting music. You're not gonna get the drop or the hard hitting moments within the first 15 seconds of the song like the most easily available music will do these days. We put in the effort to find the uncharted vein, so you have to put in the work and listen. And that goes for all music that's worth it. Free Bird doesn't kick off for 4 full minutes. In Stairway to Heaven Robby Plant doesn't talk about the “bustle in the hedgerow” until 4:20 into that song. You gotta climb the tower before you can enjoy the view. So listen to the songs in their entirety. You won't be....... Disappointed (our first single off the album is called Disappoint so it's a play on words...... haha?)
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