(All Photo Credits: Tom Coderre)
OCEANS DIVIDE – I went to the Crocodile Rock Cafe in Allentown, Pennsylvania, back on March 19th, 2011, to catch A Tour Of The American Dream. This tour is headlined by Modern/Alt Rock/Hard Rock legends COLD. Oceans Divide, Egypt Central and Ireland’s very own Rockin’ juggernaut known as KOPEK, each took the stage that night in support of COLD. Pennsylvania’s local favorite and steadily rising Maddam Ink. capped off the evening of Hard Rock noize.
And what a night of Hard Rock it was. I remember turning to Tom Coderre (Metal Odyssey’s staff photographer) and saying: “this is like a mini-indoor Hard Rock festival tonight”. Tom agreed and was stoked to get his camera into Rockin’ gear. The mood among the huge crowd of Hard Rock lovin’ fans was laid back and friendly. Once the Hard Rock was played on stage though, the mood of the fans quickly shifted into psyche-out mode. Oh, there is nothing more exhilarating than standing among a crowded club of fellow Heavy Music fans, all with one common goal to… GET ROCKED OUT!
Chris McCoy – vocals
Chris McCoy – The vocalist for Oceans Divide bestowed complete confidence onstage, with a touch of swagger in his step. Chris also has the vocals to back it up. Harmonious and still hard edged, Chris’s vocals gives an identity to the band he founded and leads.
Oceans Divide can take some hefty credit for psyching out their fans in attendance. Their hook laden and melodic style of sound, coupled with the high energy level they exhibited, convinced me Oceans Divide has something very cool and now going on. My Metal perception told me Oceans Divide looked and played comfortable on stage, exhibiting signs of a band that plays tight and gets along. I’ll say this much: I went to the Crocodile Rock that night familiar with a few songs from Oceans Divide… and left as a jubilant believer of this band.
Anyone unfamiliar with Oceans Divide should get acquainted with their self-titled debut album, which has the subtitle: the ep. Oceans Divide plays Rock and Hard Rock, fused with some Modern style relevance, at a level of quality I’m used to hearing from bands such as Creed, Alter Bridge and CAVO, to name a few. Yes, these guys from Spokane, Washington are new… and they’re really good. Melodically driven songs carried out through stellar musicianship and head turning vocals, are what makes Oceans Divide a band worth listening to and watching play live.
Silas McQuain – On drums, Silas was letting his beats be known and felt, as he kept the live rhythmic pace of Oceans Divide moving and the fans grooving.
Left: Dan Goodman on bass with Chris McCoy. Dan’s twin brother John plays lead guitar for Oceans Divide, (not shown).
Morgan Mallory on rhythm guitar
I had an opportunity to chat with rhythm guitarist Morgan Mallory after their set. Filling in for Eric Varnell on this tour only, Morgan (more than) appeared to fit right in with Oceans Divide, both onstage and off. Morgan proved to be a friendly, outgoing and very likable guy. Morgan is also the frontman for LUCID, a Rock/Metal band from the state of Washington. You can find out more about Morgan Mallory by clicking here: Morgan Mallory.com
(Left: Stone “that’s me”, Right: Chris McCoy/vocalist)
Chris McCoy, as with every member of Oceans Divide, is a class act. Chris stopped to chat with fans all night long. Signing autographs and posing for pictures for his fans seemed like a call of duty for the Oceans Divide frontman. As COLD later took the stage, Chris motioned to Cold’s frontman Scooter Ward and said to me: “It’s because of Scooter Ward and Cold that I’m doing what I do today. I was listening to Cold when I was fourteen years old. He and that band paved the way for bands like ours, he is an inspiration to me”.
OCEANS DIVIDE – ep (Released February 2011) This 7 song ep was released via UEG (Union Entertainment Group, Inc.) * This OCEANS DIVIDE ep comes with: The Metal Odyssey Hard Rockin’ stamp of approval.
This is the “lit-up” signage above the merch table for Oceans Divide.
Here is a cool cymbal that was for sale at the Oceans Divide merch table. Notice it is autographed by the band too! I didn’t buy it, um, I had already spent my limit on CD’s and beer. Metal be thy name.
* For more info on OCEANS DIVIDE, just click the link below:
OCEANS DIVIDE – Official Website
LONG LIVE OCEANS DIVIDE.
Stone.
Metal Odyssey > Heavy Metal Music Blog 
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