Oceanica "One Dark"

Hello once again fellow progheads, and welcome to another leg of the journey on the search for all things prog!  This week the Concert Closet took the intensity up a notch or two as I decided to spend time with my friends over at Progressive Gears Records.   Recently, Ben Harris-Hayes, who many of you will recognize from Enochian Theory, released his debut solo album "One Dark" under the name Oceanica.  There is always something afoot over there at Progressive Gears, so I was very eager to give this a spin...

Being somewhat familiar with Enochian Theory, I am expecting nothing short of a wild ride through emotions, tempos, time changes; just another day in the prog garden you might say...

I open things up with "Start From The Start" and the  immediate imagery is striking; a carnival ride to chaos perhaps.  The guitars start out slow but quickly pick up the tempo as drums fill the song out and lead the listener across the many emotions of the prog garden.  Ben's vocals are strong enough to ride the current, but his guitar work shines the brightest on this cut...stings you right at the base of your auditory canals.  I get the feeling Will Geraldo has his fingerprints on this album somewhere...

Next up is "The Rose, Abloom." Right away the canvas bursts with bright colors that run pale as emotions pour through the headphones...guarded for a split second--then leaving nothing behind.  The "leaping all over the prog garden" style reminds me of Gentle Giant.  Oceanica takes you crazy high and gloomy low; it is an extreme mood elevator ride--an experience you will relish. The keyboards on this cut are like a veil between two worlds; delicate and soft as you ride a gentle wave of serenity, then screeching through the headphones as you fall into a boisterous abyss...

Liner Notes...Oceanica is Ben Harris-Hayes, hailing from Brighton UK.  This really is a one-man show; Ben wrote the songs, played the instruments, laid down the vocal tracks, and even did the mixing and mastering.  I believe the only thing Ben didn't do was design the album cover...but I could be wrong...

When he isn't setting the standard for what it takes to make a solo album, Ben also plays guitar and keyboards for Enochian Theory.  He even handled vocals and song  writing for the band's swan song album in 2013, after which  Enochian Theory took an indefinite hiatus.  Following that, Ben put all his effort into creating this solo album.  You can follow Ben on
Facebook and Twitter @BenHarrisHayes and find the link to purchase his music at the Progressive Gears Records website PGR Oceanica.


Third in line for review this week is another song that fills your head with wonder, "Oubliette."  There are aromatics of Opeth laying atop this song, blending nicely with hints of Porcupine Tree  and New Order.  Ben is very good at leading the listener down a path lined with so many alternate routes and allowing you to lose yourself deep in the music...enjoy the free fall...

The ear worm this week is "The Oblivion Tree," a song that opens with a dark canvas gently bleeding.  The keyboards and strings flow so delicately, like ribbons of sound floating though your head.  There are top notes of Under the Psycamore in this piece...let them caress your spirit...


                             

Once again fellow progheads we've reached the other side of the rainbow.  Oceanica was seven days awash in abundant waves of emotion.  Ben Harris-Hayes crossed so much of the prog garden with this album; striking a gentle chord one minute and snapping a guitar string with ferocious intensity the next, all the while keeping the listener enthralled with music that runs miles deep.

If Enochian Theory returns from hiatus I will be very intrigued as to the journey their sound takes...if not, Oceanica is sure to keep Ben busy for the foreseeable future.  The ability and desire to strike out on another path made this album--at least for me--a must listen.  Having allowed the music to wash over me, I am grateful for the opportunity.

And once again the Concert Closet takes the search for all things prog onward.  The journey (hopefully) never ends...until next time...