Oceanhoarse, the Helsinki-based heavy metal quartet has released it's debut EP, Voluntary Bends, consisting of the group's two latest singles, two brand new tracks, and also includes a cover version of Slipknot's "Duality".

Guitarist Ben Varon: "We've been putting out singles for the past couple of years, and even thought this has proven to be a smart move, we wanted to release something with a bit more material to dive into at once, as well as a physical release for the collectors. We don't want to rush it with the debut album, so an EP felt like the way to go. 'Voluntary Bends' is the perfect introduction into the Oceanhoarse universe."

The two previously released singles, "Death Row Center" and "Feed The Sirens" are joined by two new tracks, the thrashy "Stitches" and the fast and furious "Maze of Death". The aggression of the new songs was not a coincidence.

Varon: "We have a ton of material written and ready, a lot of which will be on the debut album, and even some songs we're planning on putting on the second one. We're not releasing songs in the order they're written, but instead think carefully about what side of the band we want to present to the world and when, and what kind of a bigger picture we want to paint. We consciously brought the average tempo of the EP up by adding a couple fast, nasty tracks to it. Let's see about them ballads further down the line, now it's time to bang those heads!”

The idea for the Slipknot cover came about after Oceanhoarse played a full set of covers at a party celebrating their local metal bar.

Varon: "It was a blast playing that show, choosing a bunch of our favourite tunes from the likes of Ozzy, Alice in Chains and Metallica. We also played 'Duality', which worked out particularly well between the four of us. I think we have enough of our own twist in our version, while still remaining true to the original."

Oceanhoarse will celebrate the release of the EP at Hoarsefest, their very own indoor festival held at On The Rocks, Helsinki on December 28th. Also on the bill are I Revolt, DIRT, Wake up Frankie and Thy Row. Come February, it's time for Oceanhoarse to head out to Europe for their first proper tour. The band will be the special guest of Marko Hietala (Nightwish), and the tour will take them to the following cities:

Tour dates are as follows:

Febriary
2 - Markthalle - Hamburg, Germany
4 - Batschkapp - Frankfurt, Germany
6 - Backstage - Munich, Germany
7 - Anker - Leipzig, Germany
8 - A2 - Wroclaw, Poland
9 - Roxy - Prague, Czech Republic
11 - Barba Negra - Budapest, HUngary
13 - Im Wizemann - Stuttgart, Germany
14 - Z7 - Pratteln, Switzerland
16 - Turbinenhalle - Oberhausen, Germany
17 - Melkweg - Amsterdam, Netherlands
18 - La Machine - Paris, France