Reviewed by Christian Cunningham

With a gloriously heavy but intensely melodic sound Sever Your Ties have done themselves proud with this meaty slab. Hailing from Southern California, this sunny band of slightly unhinged individuals are going to make a name for themselves. With the trademark excellent Solid State production job, the guitars pound as much as the drums; jagged riffs spike out of the deep mash of crunch with achingly beautiful results on tracks like "Hand In Hand" and judicious use of spacey, haunting keyboards ladles on the atmosphere. At times it feels almost suffocating, with the ethereal otherworldliness one might associate with the oceanic depths alluded to in the album title. However, it is not tranquil in anyway shape or form! This is heavy, but it's complex, involving and at times positively leviathan. The vocals are often of the ragged, raw screamo variety, but copious amounts of melody float over every track, instantly memorable and full of hooks. A near perfect blend of the heavy and the melodic, this is one to get.

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