OAK

track-list:
No Such Place
London
Run Into the Sun
Shimmer
Shapeshifter
Borders
Sensory Overload

recorded in Ljugekroken (Oslo)
mixed by David Castillo (Katatonia, Leprous, Opeth)
mastered by Jacob Holm-Lupo (White Willow, Donner) at Dude Ranch Studio, Sandøya

OAK are:
Simen Valldal Johannessen – vocals, piano, keys
Øystein Sootholtet – bass, acoustic/electric guitars
Sigbjørn Reiakvam – drums, percussion, programming, keys, guitars

discography:

Karisma Records announced the release of the highly anticipated fourth album from OAK, ‘The Third Sleep‘, which will be out on April 25, 2025.
With their highly anticipated fourth album, ‘The Third Sleep‘, Norwegian progressive rock band Oak delivers a striking exploration of societal complacency and the struggle of the individual.
An album that contrasts light and darkness, both thematically and musically, seamlessly blending folk-inspired acoustic passages with the raw intensity of progressive metal, evoking echoes of Opeth and beyond.
Expanding on the lyrical themes of ‘The Quiet Rebellion of Compromise‘, ‘The Third Sleep‘ ventures deeper into the subconscious, weaving suggestive and poetic storytelling with sharp social commentary.
More outward-looking than its introspective predecessor, the album invites the listener to engage, interpret, and reflect.
Already the first single, ‘Shimmer‘, has been released.
About ‘Shimmer‘, the band has this to say:
“Those who have listened to OAK’s previous releases will probably notice the clear nods, both harmonically and lyrically, to ‘Stars Under Water’ from the album ‘Lighthouse’. The themes of conformity and condemnation are treated in a gloomy soundscape that can send the mind to dark film music. Both harmonically and lyrically, ‘Shimmer’ builds a bridge from the band’s first release to the latest, before towards the end you are led into a suggestive, ostinato-like coda that gives room to process and to move on both concretely and metaphorically.”
With a rich musical foundation that spans classical piano, electronica, progressive and hard rock, OAK has carved out a distinctive sound—both captivating and challenging in equal measure.
New album ‘The Third Sleep‘ will be a thought-provoking journey through sound and emotion.
OAK originated as a duo, which expanded into today’s line-up of Simen Valldal Johannessen on vocals, piano and keys, Øystein Sootholtet on bass, acoustic and electric guitars and Sigbjørn Reiakvam on drums, percussion, programming, keys and guitars.
The fact that OAK’s members come from diverse backgrounds, which range from classical piano, to electronica, to prog and hard rock, with references to both the alternative scene as well as the progressive rock scene, has allowed OAK to create a unique sound and to carve out a distinctive sound, both captivating and challenging in equal measure.