It’s pretty unique to listen to a band’s debut release and be overwhelmed by nostalgic vibes. Redefining the sound of nu-metal made popular in the early 2000’s, Ocean Grove’s album The Rhapsody Tapes not only distinguishes them from a scene traditionally fuelled by generic metal-core releases, but also puts them well and truly at the forefront.
From the opening track ‘What I Love About A Natural Woman’, The Rhapsody Tapes traps you inside Ocean Grove’s ‘Odd World’. With songs like ‘Beers’ and ‘These Boys Light Fires’ giving the raw energy and thrash vibes that OG fans have grown to love, it’s tracks such as ‘Intimate Alien’ that really highlight the wackiness of Ocean Groves new approach.
Delivering weird ambient samples reminiscent of Korn’s ‘Freak On A Leash’ accompanied by brutal riffs and heavy baselines, it really highlights the depths of OG’s genre defying sound.
By the time you reach the latter of the album, songs like ‘Mr Centipede’ and ‘Head Around The Wrong Way’ show an unheard side of Ocean Grove with bass player Dale Tanner stepping in for bulk of the vocals. While the singing delivered in these songs isn’t the standard high-pitched, enhanced, clean vocals that have been overused by many Australian acts, they have balls and are heavily grunge orientated, similar to the likes of early Silverchair.
4.5 Stars
UNFD
Reviewed by Alex Callan