Following the concise songs of Starlight And Ash, Oceans Of Slumber have re-embraced prog metal with the expansive and eclectic Where Gods Fear To Speak, while maintaining their focus on the dark side of religion. Vocalist Cammie Beverly reveals the struggles, both professional and political, behind the Texans’ new music.

Words: Matt Mills

Images: Zach Johnson

Cammie Beverly is taking aim at those who use religion for evil.

B ack in April, Oceans Of Slumber released a new single called Where Gods Fear To Speak, and you could almost hear the prog-loving contingent of their fanbase cheering.

The last time anyone had heard from the Texan progressive metal beloveds, they were releasing 2022’s Starlight And Ash: a markedly more episodic album than what was usual from their sweeping wheelhouse. Then, in the space of one song, the dense textures and avant-garde structuring were back.

It wasn’t a one-off, either. Where Gods… preempted the announcement of the album of the same name, which arrived in September. Its other nine songs continued in the same mode, signalling that these experimentalists had found their former selves again.

“We’re a band that’s incredibly in tune with our emotions and our experiences,” explains lead singer Cammie Beverly. “The place that Starlight And Ash was written from was a very unique time for everybody. It was written during the pandemic, and the feelings and things going on, which were birthed from isolation, gave a different aesthetic to the album.”