Fearless Records aren’t known for shying away from diversity. Contained within their comparably small roster of bands are the likes of At The Drive-In, The Aquabats, new pop-punk signees As It Is and Tonight Alive, set against heavy behemoths Motionless In White and August Burns Read.
None display quite the diversity of their record label than Birmingham based progressive metalcore five-piece Oceans Ate Alaska. Although finding themselves tarnished within the “metalcore” bracket, there’s much more to the noise-mongers than first meets the eye.
On recent track, ‘Vultures and Sharks’, Oceans Ate Alaska jump from more recent UnderOath-esque melodic breakdowns to deathcore influenced screams, all underpinned by time-signature fuckery that would make Dillinger Escape Plan sweat. There are remnants of the straightforward metalcore structures at times, yet for a band who could easily have fallen into rehashed traps, Oceans Ate Alaska deliver far much more.
Celebrating the release of ‘Vultures and Sharks’, Oceans Ate Alaska released a suitably dark and brooding video. “We had a ton of fun back in December shooting our video for ‘Vultures and Sharks’,” the band speak of the process. “We were soaking wet and freezing cold for the majority of it, which sure took it’s toll both mentally and physically. Artistically we wanted the video to coincide with the track lyrically, hence the rain, wind, and storms. Hopefully the finished product enriches those emotions contained within this song.”
A photographer was on hand to capture the recording process, and you can see the shots exclusively following the ‘Vultures and Sharks’ video below.
Photos by Jake Kindred