Oceano - Ascendants (2015) Review

Both Oceano and deathcore had entered a transitional phase around the time Ascendants was released, one that, for the band at least, was necessary after the release of the weaker Incisions in 2013. As increasingly polished production and cinematic orchestration was slowly entering the genre, the Chicago outfit has always tried to stand behind the same formula of testo-chug: lay down a set of monotonous, simple riffs and let Adam Warren sound like the apocalypse. I'm a big fan and own both Depths (2009) and Contagion (2010), with the former having achieved landmark status within the genre, and the later having several enjoyable tracks nonetheless. I've personally even had a blast with Incisions despite the colder response from the press ("Slave of Corporotocracy" and "Blasphemous Mask" are really great). But who are we kidding, we're talking about a band wholly hated by the non-core metal community. Another reason to listen to them.Thus, at that point of the scene's transition and the…