THE OCEAN Is A Hit With 'Christian Emo Girls'

MetalKult.com has just posted the second in a series of on-the-road tour reports from THE OCEAN's mastermind Robin Staps.

The lead singer/composer for the Berlin, Germany, metal collective will be providing updates from his band's inaugural tour of the U.S. Joining THE OCEAN on this tour are WITHERED, KYLESA and LAIR OF THE MINOTAUR. THE OCEAN is touring behind their recent Metal Blade release, "Precambrian". In this update, Staps reports from his band's trek through Charlotte, Atlanta, Orlando, Tampa, Talahasse and New Orleans.

Here is an excerpt from Staps' Atlanta, GA entry:

"When we got to the place, there were a bunch of young girls waiting outside in front of the venue. Our faces lit up had we finally made it? Had we progressed from a filthy rock band that draws filthy buffalo-hip chicks and long-haired metal dudes into something else that draws hot teens? Someone eventually told us that there was another show happening upstairs, some bands we had never heard of before were playing in a large room, and that someone described the style of music as 'Christian emo.'

"So we embarked on a mission to try to convert as many of these lost teens to the cult of THE OCEAN, and won a good handful over, by offering them free guest list spots. These poor Christian emo girls didn't really seem to understand what was happening to them when WITHERED unleashed their black metal thunderstorm.

"Tonight was gonna be the last show with [the WITHERED] guys who had become brothers in a matter of a few days, and we were all rocking out to their awesome set. Luckily, we were allowed upstairs, so we could eat all that Christian emo food and drink their Christian emo whiskey. The first band sounded like a terribly corrupted version of MARS VOLTA. But hey, these guys drew some 500 kids; there's gotta be something to them."

Go to MetalKult.com now to see photos and read the rest of Staps' report.

Metalzone.gr's Elena Mihailidou and Vasilis Mazaris conducted an interview with Robin Staps of Berlin, Germany's THE OCEAN prior to the band's first-ever show in Athens, Greece. Robin talks about the group's latest album, "Precambrian"; THE OCEAN's touring plans; and how he would like to make a DVD but not a "typical" DVD, but rather something more like a David Lynch movie. He also reveals that if he were to collaborate with an artist, he would like it to be Diamanda Galas or Tori Amos. He also talks about his relationship with the Greek elements that inspire him and the possible concept he has in mind for their next album. Watch the 28-minute chat below.