Oceans Of Sadness 1995 - 2011

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This was the official website for Oceans of Sadness, a progressive metal band from Belgium, whose last show before the breakup of the band was on 10/06/2011.
Content is from the site's 2002-2011 archived pages.

Enjoy a nostalgic trip back ....

 

 

 

07/07/2004	The 16th of July Oceans will start recording the last part of the new album. After the recording there's still a lot of work to do (mixing, mastering, ...) but we hope to finish this in august. Then we hope to find a label... or we have to release it ourselves... It took a long time but the end of the road is nearby, so be prepared!
01/03/2004	Last week Tijs suffered a collapsed lung. He was hospitalised for one week, and for the moment he recovers at home. The gig at Wervik had to be cancelled for obvious reasons. Thanks to Manic Movement for replacing us.
26/01/2004	Oceans of Sadness would like to thank all the fans (also those from Holland and France) who made the effort to come to the Biebob to support the band. The goal, to raise enough money for new bass-equipment for Bert (after it was stolen), is reached! It was a good show and a cool audience that night...
26/01/2004	Oceans of Sadness is about to record 4 more songs for the upcoming album (at Midas Studio, Lokeren). A few months ago they already recorded the first 3 tracks... so the new album is taking it's form as we speak and it's going to be fucking heavy! The plan is to go back to the studio once more somewhere in the upcoming months to record the final tracks. Hopefully the release will see the light without much trouble, although there aren't much labels signing these days. Some titles are "Precious Gold, Two Voices, Wild Mysterie, Who's in Control?"
17/11/2003	Waterwölves-benefit, an evening with Oceans of Sadness and Ashmolean + Waterwölves dj-set (afterwards Metal-party) + special prices! (due the fact that some asshole recently stole Bert's bass-equipment) First band (Ashmolean) at 20:30 hr. Biebob, Vosselaar
25/09/2003	New gigs online, check the Upcoming Gigs section.
12/05/2003	As already confirmed on the Graspop-site, Oceans of Sadness will play at Friday 4th, starting at 15:35 hr. There's a big chance we will try out some new material. So be there and get drunk very early !!!
12/05/2003	V. Doors, a small word of appreciation : "Thanks to all beer-drinking, headbanging & ass-spanking males & females who gave me a great time for the past 7 1/2 years !! I slept less, damaged my brain-cells, drank an incredible amount of beer and other spiritus, I spent a big part of my life amongst 5 ugly metal-lovin' bastards... but still, I enjoyed it. Keep on rockin' in the beer world !!"
07/04/2003	The Guitar will soon be switched from Deurz' shoulder to Cauwie's one. Check out the gig part on this site.
26/02/2003	Since a few weeks already we're rehearsing with the new guitar player. Tom "Cauwie" Van Cauwenberghe (also in Essatic) joined our ranks, promised us to support Interbrew and never to be sober again. We'll keep you informed when he plays his first show with OoS.
07/08/2002	Soon the first Waterwölves-project will be realised ; A compilation-cd will be released, featuring 7 Belgian MetalBands each performing 2 songs. Keep up with the latest news in the "Waterwölves"-section.
19/07/2002	Lyrics of the latest album "Laughing Tears * Crying Smile" today been added. Also confirmation that the band will play at Eurorock, Lommel (B).
02/07/2002	"So Close" (also check out the video-section) will appear on a compilation CD of the Dutch Label, Suburban. Release of this CD is expected later on this year.
01/07/2002	New site finally online, as promised before !! Hope you like it. Check out the new sections & the forum.
15/06/2002	Official release date of "Laughing Tears * Crying Smile". By now you should be able to find the album for sale in most record stores throughout the Benelux.
25/05/2002	CD-Release Party at Biebob, Vosselaar (B). Thanks to all for coming !!! We hope you enjoyed it as much as we did. Thanks to Panchrysia and Cantar for playing.

 

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More Background On Oceans of Sadness

 

Between 1995 and 2011, Oceans of Sadness stood at the forefront of Belgium’s underground progressive metal scene. Their official website, OceansOfSadness.com, served as a creative hub for the band’s music, tour updates, and community engagement. The site mirrored the band’s personality — intense, unfiltered, and deeply connected to its fan base. Though the band disbanded in 2011, the archived pages of their website remain a fascinating record of a group that refused to compromise its musical identity, even as trends shifted around them.

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Origins and Formation

Oceans of Sadness was formed in Dessel, Belgium, a small Flemish town that would later become synonymous with Graspop Metal Meeting, one of Europe’s biggest metal festivals. The band’s founding lineup included Tijs Vanneste (vocals), Tom Van Cauwenberghe (guitars), Wim Melis (drums), Bert Davidse (bass), Hans Claes (keyboards), and Anthony Van den Eynde (guitar). Their musical mission was clear from the beginning: to create emotionally powerful and progressive music that transcended typical genre boundaries.

The band described themselves as “a fairly progressive metal band from Dessel, Belgium,” but that modest phrasing undersold their ambition. Oceans of Sadness blended multiple styles — doom, death, thrash, and progressive metal — while also weaving in atmospheric, melodic, and even classical influences. They often said they aimed to expand “the borders of a metal scene that some pricks claim has come full circle,” signaling a defiant creative streak that became their trademark.

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Website Identity and Purpose

OceansOfSadness.com launched in the early 2000s and quickly became a central meeting point for fans. Long before social media dominated band-fan interactions, the website functioned as a full-fledged community hub. Visitors could find:

• Tour dates and show updates, often written with tongue-in-cheek humor.

• Studio reports, sometimes including candid details about recording sessions or setbacks.

• Lyrics, sound clips, and music previews, including early versions of unreleased songs.

• Band statements and personal messages from members, written in a conversational and often self-deprecating tone.

The tone of the website was distinct — raw, humorous, and authentically “metal.” Posts often opened with the phrase “Fuckin’ Hell!” — not as an act of aggression but as a statement of excitement and camaraderie. It captured the band’s refusal to sanitize their message for commercial appeal. Their fans responded in kind, building an unusually loyal community for a band of their scale.

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Rise Through the Belgian Metal Scene

Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, Oceans of Sadness gained traction through local shows and metal festivals. Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany had a strong underground metal circuit, and the band leveraged it to develop a devoted European fan base.

Their first full-length album, For We Are (2000), marked a significant milestone. It was a confident debut that merged heavy riffing with introspective lyrics — a theme that would persist throughout their career. They followed it up with Laughing Tears, Crying Smile (2002), which showcased a more refined sound and lyrical maturity. That album’s release party, held at the iconic Biebob club in Vosselaar, became a landmark event for fans, symbolizing the band’s entry into Belgium’s professional metal echelon.

During this period, their website chronicled everything from gig cancellations and health updates to equipment thefts and benefit shows — all presented with the same transparency that fans found endearing. For example, when bassist Bert’s gear was stolen, the band used their site to promote a benefit concert to replace it, directly thanking fans afterward for helping meet the goal.

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Touring and Live Legacy

One of the hallmarks of Oceans of Sadness was their intense live energy. They were regulars at Belgium’s Graspop Metal Meeting, one of Europe’s most prestigious heavy music festivals, appearing multiple times between 1998 and 2010. In fact, they proudly joked that they held a “high score” of six Graspop appearances — tying them with Iron Maiden in terms of number of participations, though, as they humorously admitted, “budget-wise it’s a whole different story.”

Their performances were known for emotional depth as well as technical precision. A highlight came in 2010, when they celebrated their fifteenth anniversary by opening Graspop with a career-spanning set that included songs from all five of their albums. Fans described the show as “nostalgic yet fucking intense,” a testament to the unique chemistry that characterized their final years together.

They also appeared at ProgPower USA in Atlanta, representing the Belgian metal scene to an American audience. Despite limited touring resources, Oceans of Sadness maintained a cult following that extended far beyond Europe, due in part to the global reach of their website and fan forums.

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Recording and Creative Output

The band’s discography reflects consistent growth and ambition. Their albums include:

1. For We Are (2000) – A debut full of promise, balancing aggression with introspective songwriting.

2. Laughing Tears, Crying Smile (2002) – Showcased improved production and stronger songwriting cohesion.

3. Send in the Clowns (2004) – A darker, heavier, and more theatrical turn.

4. Mirror Palace (2007) – A deeply layered concept album that merged progressive structures with emotional lyricism.

5. The Arrogance of Ignorance (2008) – Their final album, released through Scarlet Records, widely regarded as their creative peak.

Throughout their run, the band recorded primarily at Midas Studios in Lokeren, collaborating with Belgian producers who understood their balance between heaviness and melody. The members frequently discussed in posts how difficult it was to find labels willing to invest in unconventional metal during the 2000s — an era increasingly dominated by commercial metalcore and nü-metal. Their decision to push ahead despite these barriers reflected both stubbornness and artistic integrity.

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Philosophy and Musical Vision

Oceans of Sadness often wrote about alienation, self-doubt, and the search for meaning in an indifferent world. Their lyrics were introspective without being pretentious, often balancing despair with resilience. In a 2011 farewell statement, the band admitted they had “never really tried to be part of any particular scene music-wise” and emphasized that creating something “original and inspiring” had always been their goal.

Musically, they were adventurous. Songs shifted effortlessly from brutal double-bass drumming to ambient keyboard passages and melodic interludes. Their willingness to experiment — incorporating piano, clean singing, and complex rhythm changes — made them pioneers of Belgium’s progressive metal movement.

The band’s humor was another defining feature. Even when announcing serious matters — such as injuries, equipment thefts, or lineup changes — they maintained a tone that combined dark wit and optimism. This gave their communications, particularly through their website, a human and approachable touch.

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Fan Interaction and Digital Culture

Before Facebook, Twitter, and Bandcamp transformed how artists reached their audiences, OceansOfSadness.com served as a comprehensive digital identity for the band. The site included a forum, where fans from Belgium, the Netherlands, and even North America gathered to discuss albums, share concert photos, and swap bootleg recordings.

Their posts often read like journal entries rather than PR statements. When guitarist Tom Van Cauwenberghe became a father, the update appeared on the site alongside a humorous anecdote about bandmates debating whether to send him a round dog bed as a baby gift. It was precisely this unfiltered personal touch that fans remembered most fondly.

Their openness prefigured the kind of artist-fan intimacy that would later define social media engagement. Oceans of Sadness may not have had the marketing power of major label acts, but they built something rarer — an authentic online family that lived and breathed their music.

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Recognition and Collaborations

Despite being fiercely independent, Oceans of Sadness earned significant recognition within the European metal press. Outlets such as Metal Hammer Benelux and Aardschok praised the band for their musical complexity and authenticity. They shared festival stages with major acts like Iron Maiden, Arch Enemy, and Type O Negative, and even performed a live tribute to Peter Steele after his passing in 2010 — a gesture widely applauded by fans.

Their 2008 release The Arrogance of Ignorance was distributed through Scarlet Records, a respected Italian label known for signing genre-bending metal artists. The album received critical acclaim for its lyrical sophistication and layered production, though the band later acknowledged that record deals were financially draining, contributing to their eventual decision to disband.

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The Farewell and Final Show

In February 2011, the band issued a heartfelt statement announcing their decision to end Oceans of Sadness after 15 years. They expressed gratitude to fans and reflected that while they could have continued indefinitely, they felt their story had been told. They noted that “music is about creativity and challenging yourself” and that they had begun to feel stuck in routine. Rather than risk creative stagnation, they chose to close the chapter with pride.

Their final concert took place on October 6, 2011, at JC Spin in Dessel, with local band Thurisaz opening. The event was described as a celebration rather than a funeral — a night of nostalgia, laughter, and heavy riffs under a tent set up outside the youth center where they had once rehearsed. Fans traveled from across Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany for the chance to see the band one last time.

Afterward, the members pursued various musical projects, but the spirit of Oceans of Sadness — that mix of melancholy and defiance — continued to influence younger Belgian musicians.

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Legacy and Cultural Significance

Oceans of Sadness may not have reached mainstream fame, but within the European metal underground, their legacy remains secure. They represented a generation of musicians who valued integrity over exposure, community over commerce, and art over trend. Their website documented this ethos in real time, creating a transparent record of the highs and lows of being an independent metal band in the pre-streaming era.

They also played a key role in legitimizing Belgian progressive metal as a serious artistic movement. Alongside bands like After All and Axamenta, Oceans of Sadness helped elevate Belgium’s reputation from a peripheral market to a breeding ground for innovative metal.

Culturally, their impact extended beyond music. They were early adopters of web-based fan engagement, proving that even without label support or radio play, a dedicated online presence could sustain a meaningful career. In many ways, their use of OceansOfSadness.com foreshadowed how bands would later rely on digital platforms for independence and fan connection.

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Oceans of Sadness remains one of Belgium’s most compelling contributions to modern metal. Through a blend of emotional honesty, technical musicianship, and dark humor, they crafted a sound that transcended genre and geography. Their website, OceansOfSadness.com, was more than just a promotional tool — it was an extension of their creative identity, capturing every laugh, setback, and triumph from 1995 to 2011.

Though the final curtain fell with their farewell show in Dessel, their influence continues to ripple across the European metal landscape. In an era where authenticity is often overshadowed by hype, the story of Oceans of Sadness stands as a reminder that music, at its best, is not about fame — it’s about truth, connection, and the courage to be yourself.

 

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