The Ocean: Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic LTD | CLR versie op vinyl LP in limited gekleurde editie. Deze specifieke uitgave werd uitgebracht in Europa bij uitgeverij Pelagic Records op 4. september 2020.

After five years of touring, Pelagial, The Ocean began recording their eighth studio album in February 2018, which will be released separately in two parts in 2018 and 2020. Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic consists of dark, heavy tracks that focus on the core of The Ocean's musical idea. The immediacy that characterizes Phanerozoic I is due to the fact that the band has rehearsed every detail of the songs live in the rehearsal room beforehand this time around - a different approach from previous albums. In Iceland, the first tracks and drums were recorded in SIGUR ROS' own studio in Sundlaugin, while the rest of the album - such as the horn section - was recorded in Berlin. The lead singer of Katatonia, Jonas Renkse, delivers a stunning performance on the eleven-minute track "Devonian". However, this is very much the album of singer Loïc Rossetti. Staps and Rossetti worked hard, trying different styles and focusing on finding the best possible approach to each song. "Loïc screaming during a difficult sequence always works well, but this time our goal was not to always go the obvious route," explains Staps. The result is an album that draws its weight not from the surface, but from underneath; not so much from the vocals, but from the deeper riffs, the bass and drums, the analogue synths that intertwine with the guitars. Each of the band's releases is a cohesive concept whose content is told through music, feelings and visuals.

Album valt binnen het genre Rock, Sludge-Metal en Progressive Metal.