The Ocean in Hamburg

The Ocean is a German progressive-metal and post-metal collective formed in Berlin in 2000 by guitarist and composer Robin Staps. Also known as The Ocean Collective, the group builds long-form records around scientific and geological concepts; key releases include Precambrian, Pelagial, the two-part Phanerozoic sequence and Holocene. The Ocean toured Pelagial after its 2013 release as a continuous full-album performance synchronized to a film created for the music. Tours behind Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic and Phanerozoic II: Mesozoic | Cenozoic followed, centered on a full-band lineup featuring Staps and vocalist Loïc Rossetti. Beyond its home base, the group has performed at Roadburn in Tilburg and ArcTanGent near Bristol.

Hypno5e are a French progressive metal band formed in Montpellier in 2003 and led by guitarist, vocalist and filmmaker Emmanuel Jessua. Their music uses intricate rhythms, heavy guitar passages, atmospheric sections and cinematic spoken-word samples; key albums include Acid Mist Tomorrow, Shores of the Abstract Line, A Distant (Dark) Source and Sheol. Hypno5e performed at Hellfest in 2018 and have also appeared at Euroblast in Cologne. Their concerts present the group’s long-form compositions through a full-band metal set, including the quieter passages and film-derived interludes heard on Shores of the Abstract Line.