... And Oceans - Mare Liberum

Quite the oddity, this Finnish group with the strange band name and quirky member pseudonyms that seem to change with almost every album. The band debuted in 1998 with The Dynamic Gallery Of Thoughts, a symphonic black metal album frequently and favorably compared to Dimmu Borgir circa Stormblast, though even early on there are signs that this band is trying to do something different. They were really out of the northen extreme metal stream. By 2000 the band had really started spreading its wings, releasing an album with the elaborate title Allotropic/Metamorphic Genesis Of Dismorphism. Why they decided to exchange one set of stage names for another is anyone's guess, but anyway the focus here is still on black metal, but with a unique twist, that being the very evident electronic/techno keyboard work. Clearly a band who writes songs with titles such as "Mechanic Hippie", "Baby Blue Doll - Merry Go Mind", or "Intelligence Is Sexy" (not the mention the titles on their latest album, each of which is a mouthful in itself) is a band working on their own terms. ...
I had the chance to see and tape them live at the Montpellier Rockstore circa 2000. One of my favorite band for their creativity so far but sadly not as known as they should. Anybody got live tapes?? Please contact me.