2004 has been a very good year for people who loved Isis's Oceanic. Isis themselves, Old Man Gloom and Cult of Luna all have got albums out and joining them is the not so new but less well known band known as The Ocean with Fluxion. And while I have some reservations about their choice of bandname(try googling 'the ocean' for info on the band), I can definitely call Fluxion my favourite release in the genre this year.

The Ocean while following the post-hardcore blueprint to a large degree, tend to speed things up a bit(pacing somewhat similar to Envy) and also have a lot more dynamics(mainly through use of keyboards) rather than the endless drone of bands like Pelican. What this does is make their songs quite accesible from the first listen and can hold the listener's interest throughout.

The quality of the album is consistent begining with "Nazca" which could be considered the typical The Ocean song. The earlier mentioned keyboards and violins(?) first show up halfway through the second track "The Human Stain". The title track has has one of the most catchy riffs that I've ever heard in this genre. In between they also drop the haunted circus themed "Loopholes". However, the true highlight of the album is "Isla del Sol" which is somewhat like a counterpart to the track "Isla de la Luna" from their pervious release Fogdiver. The track sadly, also has the most irritating chorus of the album (and probably the only part of this album I don't like). The epic final track "The Greatest Bane" is something like what Dan Swano would have come up with if he tried doing a post-hardcore project but is boring a some places.

All in all an outstanding release, that really doesn't justify their obscurity.

Standout Tracks: The Human Stain, Isla del Sol
Score: 8.5/10
Website: www.theoceancollective.com