Great release! Emotionally charged with outstanding melodies, excellent songwriting, great symphonies and great instrumentation especially the violin. Such a damn shame I can't take to this particular vocal style, it doesn't seem to go well with the music imo.

Growling is difficult, I get it. And if his intention is to sound like he does here, then good for him; it just doesn't appeal to me. Putting myself in his shoes, I'm just thinking if I expend a ton of effort creating something as complex and unique as this, I would do everything in my power to ensure I don't ruin it with my voice. Hire a voice coach, rehearse and train relentlessly, and shelve the music until I feel confident in my abilities. You don't have to be Mikael Åkerfeldt, but you shouldn't distract from the music.

That said, this is an otherwise fantastic album: the multi-instrumentation, the folk elements, the storytelling, the flow -- all upper echelon stuff. I'm just personally offended by the vocals.

I finally relate to everyone who prefers the instrumental sides from The Ocean.

So surprised to read this. However, everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I respect that. People are obviously different as I personally consider vocals on this album to be great and match music perfectly.

Yeah the vocals are definitely the weak point. The whole instrumentation is fantastic, but they’re a huge let down.

Love this album and I actually think the vocals and music go well together.

I also think the vocals are terrific on this album. They are quite unique and fit the music totally. I think eastern european pagan bands often have a peculiar singing style, and I totally dig it. Overall this album is very good, especially for a debut. I think melodic black doesn't really describe the music though, it sounds more pagan than melodic to me, but maybe that's actually due to the vocals.