While I’ve been told I don’t “look the type,” I can confidently say metal is my favorite genre of music. From nu metal to deathcore, there is something about a heavy bass and screaming lyrics that speaks to me.
One of my favorite metal bands has recently released their sophomore album seven long years after their debut. Not to say they haven’t released new music between then and now, but this project is incredibly powerful.
Ocean Sleeper, an Australian metal band formed in 2016, has been teasing the release of “Peace When I’m Dead” for months. They released the first single, “Break The Cycle,” on May 13, 2026. After three months, which felt equivalent to those seven years for a long time fan, the album was released on Aug. 28, 2026.
The album features 11 songs and has a play time of 38 minutes. However, I can’t even begin to tell you how long I’ve had it on repeat. “Peace When I’m Dead” goes platinum in my headphones, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys metal.
While I love every song on this album, I’d like to highlight a few of my favorites.
Starting off strong with the title track, “Peace When I’m Dead,” is the fourth track and opens with a gut punch. “I should’ve kept inside / The loneliness of the pain you never knew / I let it eat at me / Don’t let the worst of me be the end of you.”
The whole album has themes of guilt, desperation, grief and heartache. This especially spoke to me as someone who has faced their own struggles. Keeping everything bottled inside can be an attractive idea, not wanting to put your issues on others, but it hurts in the long run. This song’s powerful lyricism, speaking of death feeling like the only way to peace, made me quickly fall in love with it.
The album as a whole has a similar sound all throughout. Each song is unique and stands out on its own, but they flow together easily and each song feels like an integral piece to fully understand.
A common complaint I hear regarding metal is that it is “difficult to understand” the screaming. This album mixes a common metal scream with clear and precise singing. I would suggest this band for both seasoned listeners and those just getting into the genre. There is a lot of variety within the songs themselves. They change from verse to verse, gentle guitar and heart breaking lyrics to head banging drums and the guttural screams of deep emotion.
“Someone Better” is the sixth track and took me a bit by surprise. I’m unsure of what I was expecting, but I love it either way. With lyrics like “I’m sick of hoping I’ll be different when we know I’m not / Spit in my face, another lie, give me all that you got / Save yourself for someone better,” this song hit a little close to home. I interpreted the song as feeling like you’re not enough for others.
This song explores ideas of not being the type of person you wish to be. It discusses how people don’t always change, and how you may not always feel like you are good enough to be loved or cared for. If you’re looking for a good emotional piece, this album, and this song, may be what you need.
Lastly, my favorite song on the album is track three, “My Forever Drug.” This song is devastating but the beat is one you can rock out to. “Waiting for you to breathe life into my lungs / We’re carbon monoxide stains / Rip out my guts until there’s nothing left for your cold hands to take / Say it ain’t so / You make me whole / Like a nightmare, you can be my bad dream / Like a nightmare, I don’t ever wanna leave.”
This song feels very personal to me. According to the album synopsis on Apple Music, “My Forever Drug…is actually about the consumptive quality of a love that’s as dangerous as it is alluring.” This album admittedly made me cry on my first listen, especially being able to understand where the artist is coming from when talking about the dangers of giving yourself up or forgetting to give yourself grace to protect something that is hurting you.
Overall, I would call this a “no skip” album. Every song is gut wrenching in the most perfect way. I rate this a 10/10 and I can happily say it was worth the wait.
