Review The Ocean – Solaris

It is likely one of the biggest upheavals in the career of THE-OCEAN mastermind Robin Staps: not only are (with the exception of bassist Mattias Hagerstrand) all musical companions new on board, no, conceptually and in terms of content things are also heading towards uncharted waters. Because „Solaris“ is the first THE-OCEAN album to deal with the future of humanity. And as the name already suggests, that future is written in the stars.

Since the 2007 output „Precambrian“, every THE-OCEAN full-length has been a concept album: sometimes it was about the seven seas („Pelagial“), sometimes about different world views („Heliocentric“/„Antropocentric“) – and time and again, in a palaeontological sense, about our mother Earth („Precambrian“, „Phanerozoic I+II“, „Holocene“). „Prepare For Departure“ are the words in one of the last lines of the lyrics of „Subatlantic“, the album closer of the predecessor „Holocene“ – and with „Solaris“ the time has now come: the last survivors of humanity leave their home planet behind and seek their fortune in the infinite vastness of space.

Staps calls this „kosmischer Eskapismus“: the spaceship as a lifeboat fleeing the sinking mothership Earth. Inspired by Andrei Tarkovsky’s science-fiction classic „Solaris“ (which in turn is based on the novel by Stanisław Lem) and the records of great explorers such as Magellan, Drake and da Gama, the content revolves around the question of whether we as a species are even capable of seizing a second chance without once again almost wiping ourselves out (through technological progress, but also through authoritarian power structures or cultural imperialism).

As mentioned at the outset, most of the crew has been replaced: alongside Staps (guitar) and Hagerstrand (bass), some familiar faces from the Pelagic Records roster appear on „Solaris“. Vocals are shared between Italian singer and pianist Enrico Tiberi (DARK SIDE BRIGHT SIDE) and Chinese avant-garde multi-instrumentalist Lane Shi (OTAY:ONII, ex-ELISABETH COLOUR WHEEL). On the guitar-wizard front, Staps is supported by Emmanule Jessua (HYPNO5E) and Marco Gennaro (also DARK SIDE BRIGHT SIDE), while drummer Jordi Farré (ex-CRIPPLED BLACK PHOENIX) provides the necessary groove. Also taking part: TANGERINE DREAMs Thorsten Quaeschning and his arsenal of analogue synthesizers, as well as sound designers Orestis Zafiriou (PLAYGROUNDED) and Simon Eifring (SPURV) on trombone.

„Solaris“ offers a total of eight tracks over around 70 minutes, and despite the drastic changes, THE OCEAN are immediately recognisable as themselves – thanks to Staps’ characteristic riffing and Tiberi’s clean vocals (which are surprisingly similar to those of predecessor Loic Rossetti, even though his growls are clearly different). By contrast, Lane Shi’s vocals are a truly new component: an extremely expressive, classically trained voice with a wide spectrum from restrained ad-libs to almost black-metal-like screams, in the right places garnished with more than just a touch of theatricality – Shi really stakes out her own niche successfully. It has an extremely high recognition factor and at the same time sounds neither like symphonic pomp à la NIGHTWISH or WITHIN TEMPTATION, nor like modern-metal brands JINJER or SPIRITBOX.

The other musicians also fit perfectly into this sound, but add new facets to it: (unsurprisingly) some lead-guitar passages that are fairly classic by THE-OCEAN standards are reminiscent of the likewise very progressive HYPNO5E, while keyboard virtuoso Tiberi contributes bell-like, floating celesta, Rhodes, Hammond and grand piano passages. The different approaches of synth sound artists Quaeschning and Zafiriou provide one or two fine finishing touches on „Solaris“.

Contrary to the way they worked on previous albums, this time THE OCEAN went to the legendary Hansa Studio in Berlin (where David Bowie, DEPECHE MODE and Iggy Pop have already recorded legendary albums) for the recordings – once again under the aegis of Swedish producer Jens Bogren, who was supposed to create a core sound familiar to the fans – which has been more than accomplished. And there is nothing to complain about in terms of punch and transparency either: „Solaris“ is pretty flawless in terms of sound engineering.

Musically, they are sailing in familiar waters: sometimes melodic and calm, sometimes intricate, progressive and brutally heavy, all the tried-and-true trademarks are present, including an intense atmosphere. Already the intro „52°30’11“ N, 13°26’12“ E“ (the GPS coordinates of the Hansa Studios in Berlin) surprises with restrained vocals and acoustic guitar sounds, just like the technoid outro „51°28′30″ S, 73°6′11″ W“ (the GPS coordinates of Última Esperanza („letzte Hoffnung“ in Spanish), a province in southern Patagonia and a reference to the exploration and colonisation of South America), which completely dispenses with metal elements – both very unusual and new for THE OCEAN.

The two advance singles „Light Pollution“ and „Belligerence“ – like the actual opener „Departure Song“ (the outro of the song is a catchy earworm and truly cinematic) at around 10 minutes – are among the more compact and accessible songs on the album, while the 17-minute mammoth piece „Simulacra“ should be a feast for the ears for progressive metal fans. Also exciting: the three final tracks „Última Esperanza“ (strong CULT-OF-LUNA reminiscences), the krautrock-like „Milk Of My Dreams“ (this is presumably where TANGERINE DREAMs Quaeschning was allowed to cut loose) as well as the aforementioned outro are linked by a recurring synth sound that sticks in your head extremely well.

Long story short: there should be something for everyone on „Solaris“, and long-time fans can breathe a sigh of relief. By no means has everything stayed the same, but THE OCEAN are without question still and at all times recognisable as themselves and remain true to themselves without forgoing innovation. A great, exciting album with a lot to discover. It will be interesting to see how the new lineup will prove itself on the stages of this planet – and how humanity’s odyssey will continue. An absolute recommendation and definitely one of the highlights of the year.

Publiziert am 25. September 2026 von Stephan Gossen