The cover perfectly describes the music here.

Don't get me wrong, this album is good, it's well-produced and the reason people like it is clear. However, for me it felt very repetitive and boring.

FAVORITE: Dividua, Inertia & Refugia.

I don't understand why bands switch to such a weird, aggressive and toxic sound, it's not cool at all.

Sure, "Our Mirage" wasn't exactly stand out for originality before, but were at least a decent band in their genre. Now these guys are completely drowning in industry trends.

FAVORITE: God Behind Your Eyes.

Production, synths, low-tuned guitars, more autotune on clean vocals – Our Mirage began to sound closer to the concept of "modern metal(core)".

You might like it and that's fine. But to me this style has always felt fake and lacking in sincerity.

FAVORITE: Vicious Cycle, Eclipse.

It's hard to put into words the incredible atmosphere of this album.

"Inmazes" is a perfect example of free light prog metal. Djent guitar riffs are often more rhythmic and melodic than heavy. The choruses are kind, charming and bright. The keyboards and electronics, albeit acidic, are cleverly incorporated into the arrangements. All of this combined creates a feeling of floating above the earth while listening, and I really like that.

FAVORITE: Stray The Skies, Owls, The Same ... read more

A diamond among grey stones in its genre.

For me this album is an example of the perfect balance between post-metal and post-rock. Pleasant delay-clean guitars easily coexist with powerful distorted riffs in the same songs. The vocals are original and aesthetic, both clean and extreme. All of this together is mixed with reverbs, which doesn't make the sound blurred; conversely, it plays for the albums side.

FAVORITE: A World Without Us, Longing, DYHAMTTAJ.

A high-quality well-made piece of work, but boring at its own. That's all...

FAVORITE: Radiance.

Having discovered "The Age Of Ephemerality" and being extremely impressed by it, I decided to check out the band's previous album.

Over the years (between two albums) guys have grown musically. And comparing the two releases the colossal difference between them is obvious to me. Yeah, "The Machine is Burning..." is good in its own way, as you can see by my rating. But it's not the same album as "The Age of Ephemerality"; it's less interesting and ... read more

An album dependent on perception.

Yes, it's nothing surprising here and you won't remember half the tracks. So, love for this release can be felt only if you've experienced something while listening (memories, reflections, nostalgia).

FAVORITE: Breath Inside Your Breath, Requiem For Johan.

Forget identity, just do business.

When I heard about this band two years ago, I thought: "Okay, these guys are cool, like Linkin Park of the 2020s". However, listening to it again now, I'm bored.

These guys bring absolutely nothing to metal, they parasitize on generic catchy hooks, taking huge numbers of listens on music platforms.

You may love it and that's okay. But for me "From Ashes To New" remains a musical wasteland that will be forgotten forever in 15-20 ... read more

I still can't understand if there's 11 or 1 song?

Yes, it's about repetition. Almost nothing on this album stands out or memorable. The "loud" moments of the songs are soulless, monotonous and uninteresting.

But I can highlight the "calm" parts and deep lyrics.

FAVORITE: Knife's Edge.

What could be simpler?

This album greeted me with VERY primitive harmonies, arrangements and song structures. Is that bad? Well... maybe not, the lyrics are good (or not really, idk).

"What I've Become" is a pretty neutral album, not bad or good, just boring.

FAVORITE: I Won't Run Away.

This is more than music.

It was my first expirience with The Ocean Collective. And I was blown away by this release, or more precisely, by the subtext the band put into EVERY song. It's truly that rare case where EVERY track makes sense.

However, half of the songs are technically pretty boring and repetitive, and without any historical context, they're completely uninteresting.

FAVORITE: Subatlantic, Parabiosis, Atlantic.

If "Creed" was djent, lol.

This album is something special. Clean guitars with reverb/delay, rhythmic patterns, lyrics, clean and scream vocals – it was all done very well.

But as much as I'd like to give this release a higher rating, alas I really can't. The first two songs are masterpieces in their genre, but I didn't find anything interesting after that, cause "Februus" itself is pretty drawn-out and repetitive.

FAVORITE: Frost, Awaken, Finale.

Overproduced to the extreme.
I liked the calmer parts of the songs, but otherwise... no comment.

FAVORITE: lost.

No way, this album is so bad.

The flat sound, boring instrumentals, stupid autotuned vocals, ostentatious epicness and image the band has created for themselves — all of it combined to create a shitty mess.

And yeah, there are a couple of OK songs, but they don't save the whole record.

FAVORITE: THE LIGHTHOUSE.

Primitive? Perhaps, but it works!

A very kind and bright release. I felt like I was in the body of a 12-13 y.o. child/teenager, free from fuss and suffering, full of new ideas.

My advice to you: play this album on your bike trip.

FAVORITE: Bones, Shoots, Spill.

Oh, those naive lyrics of the 2000s...

I'm not a fan of rap metal/nu metal and while listening to it every pretentious line raised my eyebrows again and again.

But overall this release feels fun and energetic, I even liked some songs. "Phenomenon" is something very bold, funny and kind at the same time.

FAVORITE: I Climb, Phenomenon, Break The Silence.

Potentially good, but ultimately mid.

I still don't understand why bands are turning to such a boring sound. Once again, we're dealing with acidic sugary alt-metal/metalcore, filled with weird lyrics and dull motifs.

FAVORITE: Terminal Velocity, Under Your Tattoos.

Dull arrangements, monotonous extreme vocals and really boring female vocals. But that doesn't mean the release is bad. It's just an acquired taste.

FAVORITE: Farewell.

Technically this EP is better than "Hevel".
However, "Holiness Cries" itself remains a generic mid release, unremarkable in its genre. I dislike it even more than "Hevel" and if not the last song my rating would be much lower.

FAVORITE: Holy.