Interview with Oceano vocalist Adam Warren | By Natasha Van Duser
Deathcore is currently in a massive flux, with the genre itself changing so constantly that it’s become difficult to even define. However, for the Illinois-based four piece, Oceano, who they are has never been clearer. “I think the most important experience for the band [thus far] is when we hit our lows,” vocalist Adam Warren says. “I thought there would be a point coming very soon of beating a dead horse or gracefully exiting the scene, and once we got to the Ascendants era of the band [in 2015], I saw that really change.”
Released on May 19 through their new label, Sumerian Records, Oceano’s fifth studio record—the aptly titled Revelation—expands the dawning of new horizons for the band. “I felt a lot more confident and revitalized in what we were doing,” Warren notes. “That’s when I found my personal calling for spreading a message and things like that with the band—using it as an outlet in a unique way. From there, I feel like the band has kind of had a rebirth, and we’re a brand new band in a sense. […] We finally have our calling in a way that’s just beyond trying to be a heavy, brutal deathcore band.”
Saying that Warren’s influences were a little out of this world may be an understatement, as Revelation looks outward to pull the listener in. “It all really stems from my views and experiences with what I would consider extraterrestrial experiences and UFO sightings,” Warren says. “The theme that I was primarily going in with was basically trying to influence people to make a change, while also opening people’s minds up to alternative theories and going against the grain when it comes to the way that they see the world. But while also bringing some real-life issues into it with just trying to promote a wider, bigger consciousness of environment and perseveration of the planet and stuff like that.”
Space and environmentalism aren’t the only things that set this deathcore concept record apart. While maintaining key guttural vocals and heavy, chugging riffs throughout tracks like “The Great Tribulation” and “Human Harvest,” Warren wanted to add a little flair to the lyrical side of the record to make it more tangible. “It was really a lot of R&B,” Warren explains of his lyrical derivatives. “[I was] trying to structure my lyrics in a way where they are just a little more catchy. People will hopefully be able to grasp the message; they may not be able to understand everything without reading the lyrics, but [for] the key points, I tried to go into it in a way where it’s almost like if you had some prolific speaker at a podium that has this very important message that he is trying to share or she is trying to share.”
Have no fear, though, Oceano don’t take away any aggressive riffs to add in Frank Ocean-esque ballads on Revelation. “This will be the album that probably achieves what I always wanted,” Warren concludes. “There’s nothing crazy different, it’s just a lot catchier and easier for some people to grasp these parts that I’ve always tried to write, but I don’t feel I ever accomplished.”
Ready to hit the ground running, Revelation marks a refined version of Oceano’s signature sound, showing that they not only can carry the weight of a hefty, ever-changing genre, but can do so with a powerful message to back them. Fans in the U.S. got a taste of the new album throughout the spring, as Oceano embarked on an American headliner in support of their latest accomplishment. Their next stop is Mexico in June.
Purchase Revelation here: iTunes | Physical
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