Helsinki-based heavy metal quartet OCEANHOARSE has issued a new single called “Death Row Center”. The song marks the band’s first release with singer Joonas Kosonen, who joined OCEANHOARSE last year.

Guitarist Ben Varon (ex-AMORAL) states: “When Joonas joined the band in October, we started to work on several new songs as it was clear that the first song we’re going to release with him must make a statement: with Joonas, the vocals in OCEANHOARSE are stronger than ever!

“Now, when listening to the final product, I can proudly tell you that we made the right decision when it comes to the singer and the song choice! Also the producer/mixing engineer Kari Huikuri made a stellar job pushing us to the very limit when recording, and the mastering by Svante Forsbäck added the icing on the cake. The song sounds so damn good!”

Lyric-wise, OCEANHOARSE‘s previous singles may not have been the happiest when it comes to their themes, and “Death Row Center” is no exception. Varon reveals the concept behind the lyrics: “Although grievance, oppression and agitators have always existed, it’s just grotesque how nowadays these themes are becoming clearer and more visible to the public eye yet they are still untouchable, so the status quo stays.

“The title is a reference to the term ‘front row center,’ meaning the best seats of the house. In short, we are all destined to sit in the front row to witness the train wrecks happening around us.”

Last year, singer Tommy Tuovinen was forced to step down from his OCEANHOARSE frontman duties due to a severe case of hearing loss.

The new lineup of OCEANHOARSE made its live debut last November at On The Rocks in Helsinki, opening up for the Swedish trio FREAK KITCHEN.

Fonte: Blabbermouth.net