German black metal band The Great Sea will release their second album, Silent Feeble Cries, on January 29, 2027 via AOP Records. The first taste is “Thirteen Moons,” the album’s opening track, which features Pelle Åhman, formerly of In Solitude, and arrives with a music video filmed in the Scottish Highlands.
Directed by David Gregory, the video avoids flashy effects and AI-generated imagery, letting the stark beauty of the landscape carry the album’s themes. Åhman’s voice is one of several new elements on a record that pushes the band’s aggression further while letting more melancholy into the songwriting.
Nature, Decay and Return
Founded in 2022 by Janosch Rathmer and Stefan Hackländer, The Great Sea play an intense form of black metal rooted in the primal essence of nature, mixing solemn, expansive passages with bursts of fanatical rage. Silent Feeble Cries explores humanity’s reconnection with nature, the place we come from and the place we return to, embracing both ecstatic madness and the forces of decay and decline.
Lead vocalist A. is again joined by guest vocalists Azathoth of Gràb, formerly of Dark Fortress, and Phil “sG” Jonas of Crone, formerly of Secrets Of The Moon. Drums, bass and most vocals were recorded in the band’s own studio in Germany, while guitars and keyboards were tracked in a remote, snow-covered cabin in Sweden near the lakes Vänern and Vättern. Rathmer handled recording, production and mixing, the band avoided drum samples entirely, and Tom Porcell mastered the album. Benjamin König of Sperber Illustrationen created the cover.
Their 2025 debut, Noble Art of Desolation, earned strong reviews, including third place in the Rock Hard soundcheck and 85/100 from Aardschok. The band made their live debut at Prophecy Fest 2025 inside the Balver Höhle cave and followed it with a set at Rock Hard Festival 2026.
Tracklist
- Thirteen Moons (8:49)
- Ashborn Ruins (5:46)
- Meadow of Broken Horses (7:23)
- Under the Firelight (4:51)
- I Am Not of Your World (5:47)
- Within Cold Veins (3:20)
- The Mountains Regent (9:13)
Album Release Shows 2027
Tickets are available here.
- Jan 29: Dresden, Germany, HD Rock & Metal Bar
- Jan 30: Weiher, Germany, Live Music Hall
- Jan 31: Oberhausen, Germany, Helvete
Our Take
Bringing in Pelle Åhman is a striking choice for a black metal record. His dark, melodic voice gave In Solitude much of its character, and pairing it with an eight-minute opener about nature and decay hints at a band willing to step outside the genre’s usual boundaries. Recording guitars in a snowed-in Swedish cabin and refusing drum samples suggests The Great Sea care as much about atmosphere as about the songs themselves. After a strong debut, this one is worth watching.
