Oceans Ate Alaska – Hakiri


The notion of a band being a brotherhood opposed to just a collective is of course a common one, but it is one that especially rings true when it comes to young Metalcore outfit Oceans Ate Alaska. In interview cycles and the like, their tale was that of a group of school friends since a very young age, before coming together and making strong ripples with their brand of Prog-tinged Metalcore on their début Lost Isles (Fearless).

If a little rough around the edges at times, nevertheless it showed an exciting, youthful group quickly gain plaudits and an audience. That they suffered a shock departure in their then vocalist James Harrison, it perhaps wouldn’t have been surprising for any momentum to stop, or fortunes to drop. Instead, they have not only returned, but with such a clear and staggeringly refined follow-up proves that they are a much sturdier and unbreakable unit than their youth would suggest.

Lost Isles showed a wide mix ranging from Metalcore to Tech Metal to Deathcore with a pop aesthetic which, whilst not seamless, merged well enough to prove technical, heavy in parts yet, overall, hugely catchy and accessible, albeit with fat to be trimmed. On latest album Hakiri (Fearless), all those styles return but feel so much more fluid and organic, and quite simply feel much better. Every dynamic shift and stylistic change throughout feels more sensical and not wasted, the overall playing is much tighter and it overall feels like a flowing piece rather than just a collection of songs, but not to the point that songs cannot be properly enjoyed outside of context.

At such an early stage of their career, OAA have already moved to add extra nuances to their sound as well; for example, to match its Japanese imagery there is several portions of Japanese instrumentation woven in, and even jazz-like passages that bolster its technical parts and solid poly-rhythms. Even the introduction of close friend Jake Noakes to vocals has proved a mammoth success, proving a natural fit with a range that matches his predecessor but with a greater resonance, particularly behind his clean vocals.

Their début album was far from the finished article, but was still a very impressive showcase of a young band with heaps of potential, and thus the weight of expectation in the follow-up. That they have seemingly learnt from every mistake, improved on each trait and even further bolstered their packed sound, all the while juggling a potentially detrimental line-up change, and Hakiri is quite simply a phenomenal effort and a prime example of how a follow-up should be done.

Not many bands actually live up to the potential they initially show, or is expected of them; but in the space of two albums, Oceans Ate Alaska have truly become one of the UK’s most genuinely exciting bands, and an essential entity in contemporary Metalcore and Tech Metal.

8.5/10

CHRIS TIPPELL