Oceans of Night - the Ambient Progressive Metal project led by the independent musician and multi-instrumentalist Scott Mosher - is back to this webzine (see under reviews 2009). Mosher had already released four solo albums in his career, until in 2009 he joined forces with vocalist Scott Oliva (”Wind Wraith”, “Live After Death” - “Iron Maiden” tribute) to launch a new project called Oceans of Night. Their debut album, “The Shadowheart Mirror”, featured an original style dubbed by Mosher as “Ambient Progressive Metal” – which is characterized by blending the softness and ambience of Electronic Music with the energy and heaviness of Progressive Metal in order to create a deep sonic contrast. The influences are later works of “Fates Warning” and “Queensreÿch”, early “Dream Theater“, “Vicious Rumors”, “Iron Maiden”, “Rush”, “Journey”, “Tangerine Dream”, “Eloy”, “Kitaro”, “Alan Parsons“, “Mike Oldfield”, “Jean Michel Jarre”, “U2”, and “Depeche Mode”. Oceans of Night thus combines elements of Ambient, New Age, Space Rock, Symphonic Prog, Classic Rock, Melodic Metal, and Prog-Metal, matching the sonority of bands like “Redemption”, “OSI”, “Sieges Even”, “Ayreon”, “Star One”, “Evergrey”, “Porcupine Tree”, “Jupiter Society“, and “Everon”. Oceans of Night has just released a second album: “Domain” (2011, Allaroundniceguy Music). It was mixed and engineered by Joey Vera (“Fates Warning”, “Armored Saint”, “Engine”), and the line-up has Mosher (guitars, bass, keyboards and programming), Oliva (vocals, harmony vocals) and new member Alan Smithee (drums, percussion). Although the sonority of “Domain” still retains that unique “Ambient Progressive Metal” approach of the previous album, the compositions have been hardened, focusing on Prog-Metal. Mosher is still influenced by his favorite guitarists (“Steve Vai”, “Tony MacAlpine”, and “Greg Howe”), and adopts a playing style that transits around the Melodic Metal, the Classic Rock, and the Neo-Progressive. Scott Oliva, whose vocals were initially Metal-oriented (recalling “Bruce Dickinson”, “Geoff Tate”, and “Rob Halford”), is more reserved now, but has gained in emotion, having and introspective vocal inflexion reminiscent of “Ray Alder” and “David Bowie”. Alan Smithee on drums is a powerful driving force of Oceans of Night, and keeps the band’s Metallic heart pulsing at the same tempo and cadence of bands like “Queensrÿche”, “Fates Warning”, “Evergrey”, “Star One”, and “Redemption”. Electronic keyboards are still a trait of the band, introducing soaring and symphonic backgrounds (like “Eloy”, “Mike Oldfield”, “Tangerine Dream”); cosmic solos (like “Rush”, “Ayreon”); rhythmic pulses (like “Alan Parsons”); and ambient sounds (like “Sigur Rós”, “Porcupine Tree”). “Domain” has 10 tracks. As a perfect example of the “Ambient Progressive Metal” style, the astonishing title track “Domain” (17:39) opens the album combining slow pounding guitar riffs and space-symphonic keyboards to create a dark atmosphere, emphasized by Olivas’s sad and powerful vocals. The solo guitar work is amazing, flowing through many different nuances, until the last crushing moments, when accelerated drums hurl the listener into a cosmic black-hole. Similar models are “Seven Days of Rain” (6:12) (with initial keyboards that recall “Oldfield” and “Parsons” being replaced later by solid riffs and pulsing bass lines like “Star One” and “Redemption”, and having a cosmic-Progressive guitar solo); and “The Future Remembered” (4:20), which brings a deep contrast between the electronic-symphonic intro (reminiscent of “Tangerine Dream”) and the second part, marked by heavy cadenced guitars and gloomy voices (recalling “Star One” and “Jupiter Society”). The intense disparity of musical styles present on “Domain” can be evaluated by comparing its two instrumental tracks: the Progressive “Dreams in Artificial Sunlight” (3:32) (which goes from Ambient-Electronic sounds influenced by “Parsons”, “Tangerine Dream”, and “Oldfield” to hammered guitar riffs and space solos like “Star One” and “Porcupine Tree”); and the grinding “Instruments of Fear” (4:14) (that recalls the wildest moments of “Dream Theater”). With lesser presence of electronic effects and ambient sounds, the powerful tracks “So Near Yet So Far” (5:28), “The View to You” (8:28); and the fast-paced “Divisions of Time” (5:17) are plentiful of pounding riffs, bombastic keyboards, rumbling drums, epic emotional vocals, and melodic and epic guitar solos that will please fans of “Fates Warning”, “Redemption”, “Evergrey”, “Sieges Even”, “Star One” and “Ayreon” (last albums). The remaining tracks “Don't Look to Me” (5:10) and “Ghosts of the Past” (4:25) are excellent Classic-Rock songs with influences of “Journey”, “Asia”, and “Queensrÿche” (new albums). Restraining the original sonority featured on their first album, but without loosing it completely, Oceans of Night has made an excellent second album, rather oriented to the Prog-Metal community. Highly recommendable for fans of “Fates Warning”, “Queensreÿch”, “Redemption”, “OSI”, “Sieges Even”, “Ayreon”, “Star One”, “Evergrey”, and “Jupiter Society“ that also listen to “Porcupine Tree”, “Eloy”, “Rush”, “Journey”, “Alan Parsons“, and “Mike Oldfield”. Band members involved in Oceans Of Night are: Scott Mosher - Guitars, Bass, Keyboards and Programming; Scott Oliva – Lead and Harmony Vocals; Alan Smithee – Drums, Percussion.
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Domain is the second album by Oceans Of Night, the band that consists of Scott Mosher (instruments and songs) and Scott Oliva (vocals) with Alan Smithee on drums. Scott number 1 has graced these pages before and being the principal songwriter it is of little wonder that Oceans Of Night continues his solo work.
The music is best described as a hybrid of progressive metal with ambient music. And though it may sound strange, this actually works very well. In fact, the result is pretty unique and that is no mean feat in this time!

Opening with the 17 + minute epic title track, we hear everything that makes me like this CD so much: spine tingling spheres, brooding synthesiser arrangements with delicate vocal melodies in the choruses, and still enough metal guitars to satisfy that lust for riffs and fretboard pyrotechnics.  Singer Scott reminds me a bit of Zak Stevens (Savatage, Circle II Circle), so rest assured that is a voice to love.
The other 9 tracks are 4 to 8 minutes long, and all display the qualities involved. The combination of styles really creates a tension that I love in music. Great playing and interesting ideas in all departments do the rest. I am quite confident that everyone into progressive metal will dig this stuff. Highly recommended!
Good thing the boys are already confident there will be a next CD in 2012, I will be looking forward to that…
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