THE OCEAN / PSYCHONAUT / THE DEVIL'S TRADE live in Sofia

THE OCEAN return to Bulgaria with a new album and a new era for the band – special guests are PSYCHONAUT and THE DEVIL'S TRADE

 

On December 4, 2026, one of the most influential and innovative bands of the contemporary post-metal scene – The Ocean – returns to Bulgaria for a new concert. The event will take place at the Sredets Culture House, and they will be joined on stage by the Belgian psychedelic progressive metallers Psychonaut as a special guest and the Hungarian dark folk project The Devil's Trade, who will open the evening.

 

After their impressive previous concert in our country, The Ocean are once again heading to Bulgaria, but this time in a completely new creative phase. Few bands would survive the turmoil that the German band went through between 2022 and 2025. Within a few years, two-thirds of the lineup that recorded the fan-favorite albums Phanerozoic I (2018), Phanerozoic II (2020) and Holocene (2023) had left the band. After the emotional finale of that era with a performance at the Hellfest festival, only the founder, guitarist, composer and lyricist Robin Staps, long-time bassist Mattias Hägerstrand and new drummer Jordi Farré, also known from Crippled Black Phoenix, remained in the ranks of The Ocean.

 

Rather than end their story, The Ocean chose to start over. The result is "Solaris" - the band's twelfth studio album and probably the most ambitious work of their 25-year career. The nearly 70-minute musical journey is inspired by the masterpiece of the same name by legendary Soviet director Andrei Tarkovsky. The album explores themes such as human consciousness, reality, technological progress and loneliness in the age of constant connectivity.

 

The first single from the upcoming album – "Light Pollution" – begins with familiar synth textures, naturally continuing the atmosphere of Holocene, but gradually takes a new direction. The composition grows into a majestic finale, combining orchestral sweep, suffocating heaviness and the band's characteristic rhythmic complexity. The video for "Light Pollution" was realized by director Craig Murray, who worked with Mogwai and Converge, turning the song into a truly cinematic experience.

 

The new chapter in the history of The Ocean also includes guitarists Emmanuel Jessua (from Hypno5e) and Marco Gennaro, as well as vocalists Enrico Tiberi and Lane Shi, who succeed long-time frontman Loïc Rossetti. Solaris also features Thorsten Quaeschning from Tangerine Dream, and the mixing and mastering are once again entrusted to the respected producer Jens Bogren, who worked on the landmark Pelagial and both albums in the Phanerozoic series.

 

Special guests of the evening will be the Belgians Psychonaut - one of the most exciting new forces on the European progressive and post-metal scene. Combining psychedelic soundscapes, heavy riffs and emotional depth, the trio has quickly earned a reputation as a band that must be seen live.

 

The concert will be opened by the Hungarian project The Devil's Trade - a gloomy and captivating dark folk storyteller, whose music intertwines traditional motifs, blues and acoustic heaviness into a deeply personal and moving experience.

 

One evening. Three exceptional bands. A journey through space, human nature and the deepest layers of consciousness.