Band:	The Ocean
Album:	Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic / Cenozoic
Style:	Post-metal, Progressive metal, Atmospheric sludge metal
Release date:	September 2020

01. Triassic
02. Jurassic | Cretaceous
03. Palaeocene
04. Eocene
05. Oligocene
06. Miocene | Pliocene
07. Pleistocene
08. Holocene

In late September 2019, I gave a glowing review to a new album with monochrome artwork released by an established post-metal band. Given all the chaos that has come with 2020, I'm experiencing a surprising degree of déjà vu right now.

By the time the 2010s began, Cult Of Luna were already firmly established as a leader in the post-metal subgenre. In contrast, whilst progressive post-metal act The Ocean had acquired a reasonable amount of buzz for albums such as Precambrian and Anthropocentric, it was only really with 2013's Pelagial that the band truly announced themselves as a major force to be reckoned with, a stunning leap forward six albums into the band's career that was backed up by 2018's Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic. As such, rather than being just another impressive entry into a reliably stellar discography like last year's effort by the Swedes, Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic has the job of sustaining The Ocean's current hot streak to further solidify them as a monument in the post-metal scene. I think it's fair to say that Phanerozoic II rises to that task, albeit with certain minor reservations.

The Ocean make a strong first impression with "Triassic", a hefty beast with an extended moody intro featuring tasty bass licks before transitioning into a call-and-response between ominous, reverbing softness and powerful heaviness. This track also features some memorable Arabian-influenced guitar melodies, alongside some other, more emphatic guitar leads. Like the previous two efforts by the band, Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic comes in both full-band and instrumental-only forms, and once again I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would bother with the latter, given that Loïc Rossetti is the outstanding frontman in post-metal at the moment in my opinion. He provides further evidence to support that opinion on "Triassic", switching with ease between haunting, hypnotic cleans and vicious roars. Further evidence for his greatness come with the stirring chorus melodies on "Miocene | Pliocene" and the higher-pitched screams that shred on "Pleistocene".

Rossetti is joined on "Jurassic | Cretaceous" by Katatonia's Jonas Renkse, following up his appearance on "Devonian: Nascent" from this album's predecessor. "Jurassic | Cretaceous" is, for my money, the clear standout track on Phanerozoic II; numerous comparisons have been made with Tool since the song was released as the album's first single, and whilst these comparisons are apt (particularly when the 'verse' riff first enters), there is plenty more of note in this track, including the use of horns and trumpets, the exceptional use of and shift between different dynamics, the build-up in the keyboard-heavy midsections, the memorable chorus refrain, and the band's signature synchronous percussion/vocal delivery late on. The band are firing on all cylinders on this track (Paul Seidel demonstrates why his inclusion in the band is such as coup for The Ocean), but this in turn leads into my main reservation with Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic.

"Triassic" and "Jurassic | Cretaceous" are an impressive double-header to kick off the album, and arguably too impressive an opening. The songs are comfortably the longest on the album, taking up a quarter of the tracklist but nearly half the runtime, and they contain an even greater proportion of the album's key moments. After these two songs are over, the tracks that follow can't quite live up to this standard; "Eocene" in particular feels like a weak link, featuring some nice vocal melodies but also some forgettable ones, and performing a somewhat redundant role as the 'soft' track, given that it's immediately followed by the instrumental piece "Oligocene", a far more effective shift in tone from the intensity of the first three songs. When you consider the consistency in quality throughout Phanerozoic I, this drop-off feels a tad glaring.

The closing trio of songs on the record make for a solid conclusion to the album. On top of the aforementioned stirring chorus in "Miocene | Pliocene", "Pleistocene" features an effective range of sounds, from the cello early on to the blast beats during its conclusion, making it perhaps the 'best of the rest' on the album. That title is hotly competed for by closing song "Holocene", a muted, slick and atmospheric piece that has more than a hint to Riverside to it, particularly on the part of the bass-playing. As thoroughly enjoyable as "Holocene" is, however, it makes for a slightly unconventional end to the album; when compared to the epic intensity and feeling of finality that "Permian: The Great Dying" and "Benthic: The Origin Of Our Wishes" delivered on Phanerozoic I and Pelagial, respectively, such a low-key conclusion feels like a slight anti-climax. I'm sure it makes full sense conceptually, but speaking purely in terms of the vibes that I get from the music, given that the Phanerozoic albums are framed as a two-parter, "Holocene" feels like it would make for a strong conclusion to an act I, whereas "The Great Dying" would be a more fittingly emphatic overall closer. To a degree, this is nitpicking, as the song itself is excellent, but I've spun Phanerozoic I quite a lot recently in anticipation for the release, and given how emotionally charged I feel every time that album ends, the slight sense of petering out that I get here does temper my enthusiasm for Phanerozoic II.

Slightly inferior to its predecessor in terms of both album-wide consistency and standout tracks, and with some scope for debate regarding the tracklist order and the resulting vibes the album gives off, Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic is still another strong outing from The Ocean. Judged by the expectations that "Jurassic | Cretaceous" set when it was first released, I do feel the album falls slightly short of them based on the first few listens I've given it; however, Phanerozoic I has grown on me in a big way in the two years since its release, so there's every chance that the same will happen with its successor.