AS OCEANS DIVIDE

“We wanted the EP to feel cohesive. Every song has its own identity, but they all belong together.”

“Sometimes a take isn’t technically perfect, but it captures an emotion that you simply can’t recreate.”

“We don’t want to define exactly what every line is supposed to mean.”

“Two people can hear the exact same lyrics and walk away with completely different interpretations – and both are equally valid.”

“Our songs explore darkness, but they’re never about staying there. They’re about confronting it, learning from it, and finding a way to move forward.”

“This EP isn’t about showing everything we’re capable of. It’s about introducing listeners to who we are.”

“As Oceans Divide represents that balance. It’s about recognizing the distances we face in life while remembering that those same experiences can ultimately bring us closer to ourselves and to other people.”

“It didn’t feel like we were starting from scratch. It felt like everything we learned from our previous bands had been leading us to this point.”

“If someone finishes the EP feeling like they’ve experienced a story – even if that story means something different to every listener – then we’ve accomplished exactly what we set out to do.”

Every debut tells a story, but not every debut sounds like a first step.
With their emotionally charged first EP, Canadian metalcore newcomers As Oceans Divide arrive with remarkable confidence, combining crushing heaviness, cinematic atmosphere, and deeply personal songwriting.
Rather than chasing technical excess, the band focuses on emotional impact, allowing every riff, melody, and quiet moment to serve a greater purpose.
In this conversation with Fok ‘bs‘, As Oceans Divide discuss the years that led to their formation, the symbolism behind their music, and why honest emotion will always outweigh sheer heaviness.
Your debut EP feels less like a beginning and more like the first chapter of a story that had already been unfolding for years.
How much of As Oceans Divide actually existed before the band itself had a name?
“That’s a really interesting way to put it, and honestly, it’s pretty accurate. As Oceans Divide may be a new name, but the foundation has been years in the making. Eric and I have known each other since high school, and over the years we have watched each other grow through different bands and musical projects. The same goes for Tom, and Thomas. We had all crossed paths through the Ontario metal scene, whether it was sharing stages, recording in the studio, or just building friendships over the years. When Eric started sending me the first ideas that would eventually become ‘Into The Dying Light’, it didn’t feel like we were starting from scratch. It felt like everything we learned from our previous bands had been leading us to this point. We knew what kind of music we wanted to make, but more importantly, we knew the kind of band we wanted to be. That’s why the EP doesn’t feel like a collection of first attempts. It’s the result of years of experience, trust, and shared history finally coming together under one name.”
The title ‘As Oceans Divide‘ suggests separation, but oceans also connect continents.
Was the title chosen to represent distance, connection, or the paradox of both existing at once?
“That’s actually one of the reasons the name resonated with us. On the surface, oceans can represent distance, isolation, and obstacles that seem impossible to overcome. But at the same time, they’re also what connect the world. They separate us physically, yet they’ve always been the pathways that bring people, ideas, and cultures together. That duality reflects our music really well. A lot of our songs deal with struggle, loss, inner conflict, and the feeling of being disconnected, but they also carry themes of resilience, hope, and finding your way through those experiences. We never wanted the music to be completely dark or completely uplifting, it lives somewhere in between. In many ways, As Oceans Divide represents that balance. It’s about recognizing the distances we face in life while remembering that those same experiences can ultimately bring us closer to ourselves and to other people. We think that’s a pretty fitting reflection of who we are as a band.”
The EP constantly shifts between overwhelming heaviness and fragile, atmospheric moments.
When you’re writing, how do you recognize the exact moment where restraint becomes more powerful than another breakdown?
“We always try to let the song tell us what it needs. We all love heavy music and a great breakdown, but if every section is trying to outdo the last one, you eventually lose the impact. Sometimes the most powerful moment in a song is when everything pulls back and gives the listener a chance to breathe. At the end of the day, we’re never asking, ‘How do we make this heavier?’ We’re asking, ‘How do we make the listener feel something?’ Sometimes that’s a crushing riff, and sometimes it’s a single clean guitar line or a vocal melody hanging in the air. If the emotion is there, the song wins.”
The sea serpent, chains, and anchor on the artwork invite multiple interpretations.
Did you intentionally avoid assigning one definitive meaning, or is there one hidden symbolism that listeners haven’t discovered yet?
“We definitely wanted the artwork to be open to interpretation. We had ideas and themes in mind while developing it, but we never wanted to tell people, ‘This is the only way you’re supposed to see it.’ Music is personal, and we think the artwork should leave room for that same kind of connection. For us, the sea serpent represents the struggles we all face. The chains symbolize the things that hold us back. The anchor can be seen in two ways. It can represent being weighed down by those burdens, but it can also represent stability, hope, and something that keeps you grounded when life gets chaotic. That balance is really at the heart of As Oceans Divide. Our songs explore darkness, but they’re never about staying there. They’re about confronting it, learning from it, and finding a way to move forward.”
Many debut releases try to prove everything a band can do.
Your EP feels remarkably focused instead.
Was deciding what not to include just as important as deciding what stayed?
“Absolutely. We never approached this EP with the mindset of trying to prove how technical we could be or how many different ideas we could fit into five songs. Every decision came back to one question: Does this make the song better? There were definitely moments where we would pull something back or even remove parts we liked because they distracted from the bigger picture. As musicians, it’s easy to want to showcase every riff, fill, or idea, but we’ve learned that restraint can be just as powerful as complexity. We wanted the EP to feel cohesive. Every song has its own identity, but they all belong together. In a lot of ways, this EP isn’t about showing everything we’re capable of. It’s about introducing listeners to who we are.”
Having played in other bands before, you already knew each other’s strengths.
Were there any musical habits or expectations you deliberately left behind when creating As Oceans Divide?
“I think the biggest thing we left behind was the idea that every member has to prove something. Earlier in our careers, it was easy to fall into the mindset of wanting to showcase every technical idea or write the most complicated part in the room. As we’ve grown, we’ve realized that the best songs aren’t necessarily the ones with the most notes, they’re the ones that make people feel something.”
‘White Noise‘ is an interesting title because white noise usually masks other sounds.
In today’s world, what do you think is the loudest form of ‘white noise‘ preventing people from truly listening – to music or to each other?
“That’s an interesting question because ‘White Noise’ isn’t really about the outside world, it’s about what’s happening inside. To us, the ‘white noise’ represents the constant thoughts, fears, memories, and internal struggles that can become so overwhelming they drown everything else out. This song is about that feeling of being overwhelmed by something you can’t simply switch off. We hope listeners can hear it through their own experiences and find their own meaning in it.”
‘World Collapse‘ sounds global, yet your lyrics often feel deeply personal.
Do you see the collapse of the outside world and internal emotional collapse as reflections of the same process?
“As a band, we never want to tell people exactly what they’re supposed to take away from a song. We write about real emotions and real struggles, but we leave space for listeners to bring their own experiences into the music. If someone hears ‘World Collapse’ as a reflection of society, a personal battle, or both, then we’ve done our job. The best songs are the ones that continue to mean something different as you grow.”
The production is polished without sacrificing emotional weight. Were there moments during recording where you deliberately kept imperfections because they carried more truth than technical perfection?
“Absolutely. We all wanted the performances to be as strong as possible, but we never wanted to edit the life out of the songs. Sometimes a take isn’t technically perfect, but it captures an emotion that you simply can’t recreate. Those are the moments worth holding onto. Thomas did a great job understanding that balance. He’s incredibly detail-oriented as an engineer and producer, but he also knows when a performance has the right feel.”
Listening to the EP from beginning to end feels almost cinematic.
Did you think of the five songs as individual compositions, or as different scenes within one larger emotional journey?
“I think it’s a bit of both. We wanted every song to stand on its own, but we were also very conscious of how they would feel together as a complete record. We still believe there’s something special about listening to an album or EP from beginning to end, and we wanted this release to reward people who do that. Each song explores different emotions and experiences, but they’re all connected by common themes like struggle, resilience, loss, and self-discovery. As the EP progresses, it feels like you’re moving through different chapters of the same emotional journey rather than hearing five unrelated songs. We never sat down and said, ‘Let’s write a concept record’, but once the songs started coming together, we realized they naturally complemented one another. The sequencing became really important because we wanted each track to build on the last and take the listener somewhere emotionally. If someone finishes the EP feeling like they’ve experienced a story, even if that story means something different to every listener, then we’ve accomplished exactly what we set out to do.”
Your music is emotionally open without becoming overly descriptive.
Do you consciously leave spaces in your lyrics so listeners can complete the story with their own experiences?
“As we’ve said before, one of the things that’s really important to us is leaving room for interpretation. While our lyrics are inspired by real emotions and experiences, we don’t want to define exactly what every line is supposed to mean. We think the most meaningful songs are the ones that become personal to the listener. Two people can hear the exact same lyrics and walk away with completely different interpretations, both of which are equally valid. That’s part of what makes music so powerful.”
Because this is your debut under a new name, people naturally focus on first impressions.
What do you hope listeners will still discover on their tenth listen that they probably miss the first time?
“I hope they discover that there’s a lot more beneath the surface than they noticed the first time around. On an initial listen, you’ll probably connect with the riffs, the hooks, the heaviness, and the overall energy. But as you spend more time with the EP, you’ll start to notice the smaller details – the layers in the arrangements, the interplay between the guitars, the subtle production choices, and the emotional nuances in the vocals. More than anything, we hope people come back to the EP because it makes them feel something. If someone is still finding new details or connecting with a lyric differently on their tenth listen than they did on their first, then we’ve created the kind of record we set out to make.”
Now that ‘As Oceans Divide‘ has finally been released, what surprised you the most, not about making the EP, but about how people have interpreted it?
“I think the biggest surprise has been seeing how different songs connect with different people. We all have our own favourites, but it’s been really cool to hear listeners tell us which songs speak to them and why.”
Every new band faces the challenge of making a memorable first impression.
As Oceans Divide have chosen not to do that through technical showmanship or empty aggression, but through thoughtful songwriting, emotional honesty, and a clear artistic identity.
Their debut EP is less about proving what they can play than about showing who they are – and judging by these conversations, this is only the beginning of a much longer journey.
by Fok ‘bs‘