My history with Finland’s …and Oceans runs as deep as the Mariana Trench. As a burgeoning metalhead, the eclectic symphonic black metal of 1998’s The Dynamic Gallery of Thoughts immediately sank its hooks into me. Its successor, The Symmetry of I – The Circle of O, solidified their place with its atmospherically intense and innovative brutality. The two albums remain all-time favorites of mine to this day. Conversely, the group’s industrial era of A.M.G.O.D. (2001) and Cypher (2002)—preceding the group’s hiatus—split my interest until 2020’s Cosmic World Mother and the subsequent As in Gardens, So in Tombs marked …and Oceans’ triumphant return to form. So, upon learning that …and Oceans’ seventh full-length, The Regeneration Itinerary, aimed to fuse the Finnish collective’s thirty-year history with their most experimental material since their resurgence, I eagerly dove in, hoping …and Oceans’ stylistic evolution would culminate with an album rivaling their early years.
The Regeneration Itinerary finds …and Oceans venturing into bolder and more daring territory while remaining anchored in the Emperor-esque incisiveness of Cosmic and As in Gardens. Echoing the sweeping grandeur of their earlier works, …and Oceans quickly re-establishes their familiar blend of flamboyance and experimentalism. Launching with a celestial shimmer, opener “Inertiae” detonates into a furious Dimmu Borgir-like energy before unexpectedly morphing into an industrial atmospheric bridge with electronic dance elements. This same confidence fuels potential Song o’ the Year contender “Prophetical Mercury Implement”—recalling Symmetry of I through swirling guitars, powerful drums, and dramatic synths—as well as the machine-like “Chromium Lungs, Bronze Optics.” For forty-six minutes, …and Oceans’ signature combination of symphonic grandiosity, industrial texturing, and black metal aggression ebbs and flows like a rising and retreating tide, firmly leaning into their outlandish spirit.
Demonstrating a degree of evolution in their craft, the performances on The Regeneration Itinerary are exceptional across the board. As Antti Simonen’s orchestrations navigate the majestic backdrop where Dynamic Gallery’s operatic symphonies (“Terminal Filter,” “The Form and the Formless”), Symmetry of I’s serene synths (“Towards the Absence of Light”) and the stark, mechanical pulse of A.M.G.O.D. and Cypher-era automations (“I am Coin, I am Two”) unite, they trade command with Tio Kontio and Teemu Saari’s blistering tremolos and razor-sharp guitars to produce …and Oceans’ grand melodicism. Lillmåns’ vocals are a highlight, shapeshifting from blood-curdling screams to manic shrieks to subterranean growls in tracks like “Prophetical Mercury Implement,” “The Form and the Formless,” and “Förnyelse i tre akter,” wholly embracing the raw and unhinged persona of former vocalist Kena Strömsholm. Beneath these shifting tides, Kauko Kuusisalo’s technical and colorful drumming pulls like an intense undertow, showcasing its evolution by moving beyond characteristic rapid-fire blasts and violent double bass in favor of artful rhythms and precise patterns. Furthermore, …and Oceans’ best production to date cleanly articulates The Regeneration Itinerary’s crushing brutality and subtle nuances, particularly for Simonen’s synths and Kontio and Saari’s guitars.
While the performances on The Regeneration Itinerary are stellar, certain songs across the album’s ten tracks don’t quite measure up to the record’s stronger compositions.1 Despite the strength of the core songwriting, the quirky industrial track “The Ways of Sulphur” seems forced and out of place, while “I am Coin, I am Two” feels underdeveloped and rushed, its abrupt end hindering its otherwise strong first half. Likewise, “The Form and the Formless” and “The Fire in Which We Burn” seem too brief. Thankfully, the strong performances carry the album forward but in a more hardened form, The Regeneration Itinerary would have crushed the Score Safety Counter into mere rubble.
Rating The Regeneration Itinerary demands that I separate my head from my heart. Nevertheless, my overall reaction is one of excitement. In many ways, this album embodies the …and Oceans of old and is what I’ve longed for since their 2017 reformation. With The Regeneration Itinerary, …and Oceans comes full circle, integrating their past into material that should ignite a sense of homecoming for longtime fans. Known for their constant evolution, The Regeneration Itinerary feels like the arrival of a new tide for …and Oceans. One that I’ll be impatiently waiting for again.
Rating: Very Good!
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Season of Mist
Websites: andoceans.bandcamp.com | facebook.com/andoceans
Releases Worldwide: May 23, 2025
The post …and Oceans – The Regeneration Itinerary appeared first on Angry Metal Guy.
