J-Man
In the promotional e-mail I received for the new Ocoai album, the band was described as "everything from post rock to doom metal to Pink Floyd killing a dinosaur". Surely unique enough to pique my curiosity, this tag actually turned out to be surprisingly accurate. The Electric Hand really does defy genre characterization enough to warrant such a description... well, maybe except the "killing a dinosaur" part. Ocoai's unique mix of genres, parred with some of the most stunning instrumental compositions I've heard in a long time, makes The Electric Hand an absolute winner in my book, and an essential purchase for any post metal fan.
Ocoai's The Electric Hand is difficult to pin down to genre tags. Post metal is clearly the best description I can think of, seeing that Ocoai borrows plenty of influence from post rock/metal, but they have an underlying Pink Floyd-ish tone that sets them apart from the genre's pioneers. Combine that with touches of ambient, doom metal, and traditional progressive rock, and you have an album unlike all others. The cello parts courtesy of Cody Ledford add an extra dose of melancholy in the mix, and really complete the compositions. The Electric Hand is anything but your standard instrumental post metal album, and should be further investigated by anyone who's tired of all the "clone bands" out there. Ocoai's one-of-a-kind sound, parred with stunningly beautiful compositions and technically astounding musicianship, makes this album a winner on nearly every front. I don't know if it's possible to listen to a song like "Grimpeur" without feeling the hair on the back of your neck stand up and noticing your arms covered in goosebumps. That track alone makes The Electric Hand well-worth the price of admission. The raw, yet still crisp and powerful, production also suits the music perfectly and sounds terrific.
The Electric Hand took a little while for me to fully appreciate, but it's definitely worth all the time it deserves. Seldom do I come across a post metal album with this much originality, sheer beauty, and convincing power - that alone makes this worth all the time in the world. Ocoai have really hit a home run this time around, and hopefully The Electric Hand gets all the attention it deserves in the post metal community. 4 stars are well-deserved here. I'm very curious to hear what these Tennessee juggernauts have up their sleeves next.