OCEANO are an American Death Metal / Hardcore band, who formed in Chicago in 2006. Influenced by Metal giants such as BEHEMOTH and SUICIDE SILENCE, the band pride themselves on their aggressive music, claiming to be "one of the angriest bands on earth". Just one listen to their latest album "Incisions" will show that this is no false statement. If you like your music livid, you might wanna check these guys out.

Although the anger comes in gradually, the opening track "Eternal Wasteland" instantly throws the listener into a disturbing mind set. The track begins with a sinister drum beat which slowly rises in volume, and is accompanied with other creepy effects. It is not until the distortion guitars of Devin Shidaker and Nick Conser and the menacingly deep vocals of Adam Warren make an appearance that the true fury of the band is shown. This track is appropriately named; for 3 minutes, the listener becomes trapped in Eternal Wasteland of Metal frenzy. The following track "Slow Murder" is also aptly named. The guitars in the introduction are shrill and agitated, and Warren's vocal diversity places the listener in a state of unease. "Slave of Corporotocracy", aside from containing a very big word, also contains some impressive instrumentation. It features some complex guitar work, as well as some funky drumming and bass, and a couple of nifty breakdowns.  Track number 4 begins with some haunting muttering voices, and some haunting hitch-pitched guitar. "Internal War" again shows off Warren's impressive range, with a balanced diet of growls, pig squeals and shouts. The song becomes rather melodic as the end approaches, which makes for a cool change to a brutal song. The album continues to prove the group's status as one of the most noteworthy Chicago Metal acts, with the bitterly unnerving "Self Exploited Whore", which gives drummer Daniel Terchin the chance to show off his intense double kick skills, whist the track to follow "New Age Apophis" lets Jason Jones's bass rumble up a deadly storm in the introduction. This track is also well-endowed in the breakdown department, which is always a good thing.

If you were expecting to "Embrace Nothingness" in the next song, you'd better prepare yourself for something more. This melodic track is on the softer side, but certainly doesn't omit the central essence of the band. The vocals are eerie and the music subdued, but OCEANO's talented aggression still shines through. It actually reminds me a bit of CHIMAIRA, with its solemn intensity. The album's title-track is up next, and it kicks off with some disquieting effects, and develops into catchy choruses and brutal breakdowns. "Incisions" consists of impressive work all round, as does the track to follow, "Blasphemous Mask". Warren's vocals have a rather bipolar quality to them, as they are constantly changing in tone and pitch. "Severed Appendages" is a rather undesirable outcome, but chances are the song is exactly what your average Death Metal fan is looking for. This time the guitars are the unpredictable ones, with unnerving shrieks that may actually make your appendages fall off. Maybe that's how the song got its name... The theme of grievous bodily harm is continued in the next track, "Disseverance". The introduction highlights some funky overlapping guitar work by Conser and Shidaker, as well as Terchin's solid drumming. This 5:16 track is instrumental, again proving that OCEANO value variety in their music. Last but not least, we have the conclusion to the album, "The Reclaimation". Warren reclaims the stage in this one, and his notorious growls are disconcertingly accompanied by disgruntled distortion, fierce bass and malicious drumming.

OCEANO are certainly a Death Metal band to pay attention to, and Incisions is an album that shouldn't be ignored. Not just because it's an impressive release, but chances are you'd have a rather enraged band after you. OCEANO are angry, talented, and the next big thing in Metal, so I wouldn't cross them if I were you.