The Arrogance of Ignorance is the fifth release from Belgium's Oceans of Sadness, produced by Jens Bogren (who'se worked with Opeth, Katatonia, and Amon Amarth) and out now on Scarlet Records. These guys play an intriguing form of metal that draws upon many styles, including doom, progressive, power, thrash, black, and death, somewhat along the lines of Mercenary or Into Eternity, but you can also hear hints of Opeth and Katatonia at times as well. One of the key elements to The Arrogance of Ignorance is the multi-layered vocal attack from Tijs Vanneste, who delivers some stunning clean, melodic vocals, as well as some killer screeches and growls. Check him out on standout cuts like "Subconscious" and "Self-fulfilling prohecy", as he goes from soaring clean passages to raging black metal screams to deep death metal growls. The songs here are epic in scope, thunderous riffs punctuated by intricate rhythms and walls of orchestral keyboards, the tempos varying from song to song giving each a separate flavor and feel. "Some things seem so easy" is a stunning ballad brimming with ambient atmospherics as well as crunching power chords, coming across like some sort of long lost stepchild of Riverside, Porcupine Tree, Opeth, and Amorphis. If you want crushing metal, look no further than the speedy yet melodic "The weakest link" or the raging mix of progressive & extreme metal on " In the end".
Overall, it's all about textures and moods here, Oceans of Sadness whipping up proggy numbers with just enough metal oomph on tunes like "Failure" and "Between the lines" to satisfy anyone into adventurous music. Most importantly though are the memorable melodies heard throughout this CD, instantly catchy and addicting, and the effective mix of styles and flavors make The Arrogance of Ignorance a highly enjoyable album. Throw in some wonderful artwork by Seth Siro Anton, and you have an amazing all-around metal package that you might have overlooked in 2008, and if so here's a recommendation to go seek it out right away.
Track Listing
1. Roulette
2. Self-fulfilling prohecy
3. Subconscious
4. Some things seem so easy
5. The weakest link
6. Between the lines
7. In the end
8. From then on
9. Failure
10. Hope
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