Photo of Oceans of Slumber by Zach Johnson
On May 15th, Oceans of Slumber stopped by St. Louis for a set at Delmar Hall, supporting Lacuna Coil on their Ignite the Fire 2024 tour. Both bands—heavy-hitting, melodic, and female-fronted—brought doom and soul to the evening.
Lauded for their Southern Gothic-tinged melodic death metal, Oceans of Slumber vocalist/writer Cammie Beverly, her partner and writer/drummer/keyboardist Dobber Beverly, and co. performed a memorable set that started softly, swelling to a rousing climax showcasing the band at its most adept and powerful.
Cammie’s voice is simply sublime. It’s always a treat to attend a live show where the performer(s) actually sound like they do on a record. It’s a mark of true musicianship and artistry, the authentic, raw beauty of a voice in harmony with even the harshest moments of a song. While she mostly sings, Cammie holds her own in the death growl division, complemented by back-up snarls from bassist Semir and guitarists Chris and Alex. Keeping the pace for over an hour, Dobber’s drumming is intense, precise, and never overwhelming — he keeps time and has a staccato-fast mind for tempo.
Below is a film of some of my favorite moments from the evening:
I also had the pleasure of shooting the band’s portraits prior to the show. We found an old church down the street from Delmar and thought it the perfect locale to take moody, summery shots for the band’s promotion of their upcoming album, coming soon on Season of Mist.
A special thanks to Will at SoM, who connected me with the band and show. | Zach Johnson
