After returning from the harsh cold of Iceland, The Ocean Collective returned to the comforts of their hometown Berlin to continue their recording process for the upcoming Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic. We get another peek with this behind-the-scenes video:

The video delves into the dichotomized mind of guitarist Robin Staps, showcasing the band's inner workings and the importance of the string and brass sections that make this new album powerful and unlike previous material. Cellist Dalai Cellai makes an appearance on the new record and shares her thoughts on the importance of string instruments, and how they help balance the dynamics when set against vigorous guitars and bold vocals.

Ebbs and flows of proggy melodies, crushing guitars, swelling strings and powerful vocals match the heavy lyrical themes The Ocean Collective has made its signature. Phanerozoic I is now available for pre-order, along with meticulously designed merch bundles, something for which they've become known, and will be released November 2nd via Metal Blade Records (CD / digital) and the band's own Pelagic Records (vinyl). Check out the first two singles from the album and pre-order now at this location.

The first vlog in support of the new album can be seen below:

The Ocean marks their rebirth with "Permian," a nine-minute epic about The Great Dying. Explains guitarist and primary songwriter Robin Staps, "About 90% of all life on Earth was wiped out during this mass extinction event at the end of the Permian period, 250 million years ago. The most probable scenario is that The Great Dying was caused by increased volcanic activity inducing a global warming of about five degrees, which led to widespread ocean anoxia and the release of large amounts of methane gas from shallow seabeds into the atmosphere. This fast release of methane, a greenhouse gas, caused even further warming."

All of this occurred long before humanity appeared on the map, yet the effects of this global warming cannot be ignored. Says Robin, "There is no reason to assume that the results of the current human-caused warming would not be, at best, similarly devastating. The same increase in global temperatures that happened over the course of at least 150,000 years at the end of the Permian is likely to happen in just a few hundred years now. Looking at the five mass extinction events during the Phanerozoic eon reminds us that even without human impact, Earth has the power and potential to wipe out humanity in its entirety, at any given moment in time."

Tracklisting:

“The Cambrian Explosion”
“Cambrian II: Eternal Recurrence”
“Ordovicium: The Glaciation Of Gondwana”
“Silurian: Age Of Sea Scorpions”
“Devonian: Nascent”
“The Carboniferous Rainforest Collapse”
“Permian: The Great Dying”

“Permian: The Great Dying”: