Norwegian progressive death metal outfit OKULAR have self-released their sophomore effort, Sexforce, today.
The album boasts nearly a full hour of face-melting progressive death and features guest contributions from BORKNAGAR's Vinstersorg and SUSPERIA's Athera. The CD comes with a 24-page booklet, including full lyrics and one hand-drawn illustration for each song.
The band has joined forces with AxisOfMetal.com for a full album stream of Sexforce. Check it out at this location.
Order Sexforce at okular.bandcamp.com and facebook.com/okularmetal.
The brainchild of composer/lyricist Andreas Aubert and featuring members from ASPHERIUM and ZEROZONIC, OKULAR again offers the balanced blend of technicality, melody, and brutality first heard on critically acclaimed 2011 debut Probiotic, and yet Sexforce is somehow more accessible and compositionally dynamic than its predecessor. The album's appeal is further enhanced by the appearance of SUSPERIA's Athera who performs half of the lead vocals on 7 of the 13 tracks, while BORKNAGAR's Vintersorg makes a guest appearance on "The Greatest Offender." Lyrically, OKULAR presents poetry describing aspects of the human existence, in a vital and experientially-based form, rather than as philosophical discourse. In a ringing endorsement of Aubert's creation, BORKNAGAR's Øystein G. Brun describes OKULAR as a "death metal parallel" to his own band. It doesn't get much better than that.
Recorded, mixed and co-produced by Marius Strand at Strand Studio, Norway (THE WRETCHED END feat. Samoth from EMPEROR, CHROME DIVISION feat. Shagrath from DIMMU BORGIR). Mastered by Maor Appelbaum at Maor Appelbaum Mastering - California - U.S.A (SEPULTURA, HALFORD, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, DAATH, ARMORED SAINT etc.).
Andreas Aubert of OKULAR recently published an article about metal music seen from a psychological and meditative perspective. Does Vader have a song with Christian lyrics? Is an equivalent to headbanging used in Sufism, a mystical branch of Islam? Are extreme metalheads afraid of feminine qualities, and therefore also afraid of metalcore? Read the article "Death Metal - Urban Tantra?" to find out, featuring Paul Masvidal and others.
"For those who love interesting death metal it is an absolute recommendation... Immaculately produced, has little to no trouble nestling itself in between the biggest names of brutal death metal. Okular makes technically challenging, brutal death metal, but at the same time they somehow managed to become more accessible." [83/100]- Lords of Metal
"Another impressing effort from one of the most exciting bands Norway has to offer... Sounds refreshingly different to more or less anything out there but at the same time the material is sufficient accessible to appeal to most fans of technical extreme metal." [9/10]- Arctic Metal
"A mightily impressive effort from Okular. Fans of acts like Obscura, Opeth, and Meshuggah can't go wrong here. An extremely powerful production and technically outstanding musicianship to top it all off."- Sea of Tranquility
"Okular are required listening for those who enjoy progressive death with dynamic songwriting ethics at hand." "Accessible in certain songs and then very complex in others, but therein lies the appeal to Okular." [8.5/10] - The Metal Pit
For band bio and info visit www.okularmetal.com and www.facebook.com/okularmetal/info.
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