There’s a new voyage that you can embark upon right now! This comes in the form of TERRA ATLANTICA’s latest tale Oceans, and it is one that every adventurer should experience in its entirety. So, are you ready to read my thoughts in one of my rare track-by-track reviews? Let’s dive in.
It opens with the epic-sounding instrumental Ocean Fever. It’s one that leaves the listener feeling anticipated, especially if you’re like me and this is your first proper experience of the band. The more I listened to this track, the more empowered I felt, especially now I know what’s to come. It’s an exciting voyage.
Back To The Sea is the first full-length track of the record. This song provides some comfort in reinforcing the message of not being afraid of the unknown; it can be exciting not knowing what lies ahead as you can write your own tale and go wherever the winds take you. If you wonder what a collaboration between MAJESTICA and DRAGONY sounds like, this will give you an idea.
It’s no surprise that Hoist The Sail is one of the singles. If you have listened to it multiple times, you are most likely singing the words to the chorus already. This track is great fun and is full of jaunty sea shenanigans. This is the song every pirate metal band wishes they had written.
Ever wondered what the love child of THE ANIMALS’ House of the Rising Sun, TWILIGHT FORCE tune Sunlight Knight, and NANOWAR OF STEEL’s Norwegian Reggaeton would sound like? Listen to Caribbean Shores, and that will give you a rough idea. There’s just the right amount going on in the song, and you still have a great time. This song showcases their great songwriting skills.
Turn Of The Tide is a great heroic melody that encourages you to take charge of your own destiny and sail those waves to where you’re meant to be. This is what it would sound like if WARKINGS and AVANTASIA had collaborated on a track together.
Through the Water and the Waves has all the best parts of power metal rolled into one. It caught me off guard at first with its SLAYER-esque riff at the start. When listening to this again, it made me wonder if Hansi Kürsch lent his powerful vocals to this swashbuckling track. This is sure to encourage headbanging wherever you happen to be.
If you need that beacon of hope, Where My Brothers Await is the perfect track for that. In fact, it’s the best track from an album I have heard in a long time. The empowering melody and the profound vocals work together beautifully to create this remarkable song. It’s an important reminder of those in our support networks when we reach troubled and stressful times.
If GRAILKNIGHTS took to the high seas, Land of Submarines would be the one. It’s a perfect, straightforward track that gets the blood pumping. I wouldn’t be surprised if mosh pits broke out in this one.
Raven In The Dark is a beautifully dark track that contains very poignant messages within the lyrics. This is the part of the story where someone is about to lose hope and give up on everything until that voice of hope comes through.
The last tracks The Realms Of God and Oceans Of Eternity are both triumphant in their own special ways. The Realms Of God brings the image of a final battle to mind where the listener is victorious in one war or another. Both prog and power metal fans will rejoice when Oceans Of Eternity begins to play; the tie into Ocean Fever from the start is an incredible touch and will encourage the adventurer to embark upon the voyage again.
It was around this time last year that I started my recovery from a severe burnout, and certain albums helped me along my journey. I can confidently say that Oceans is the latest album to add to that list. It’s an album that teaches me not to be afraid of the unknown and to embrace it. If this sounds like the adventure you want to embark upon, join TERRA ATLANTICA, and as they say, “hoist the sail.”
Rating: 8/10
Words: Lotty Whittingham
Oceans is out now.
Find TERRA ATLATICA here.
