Concert review: Oceans, Deliver the Galaxy & Safehxen, Rockpalast Bochum, 26 September 2025

For me personally, an Oceans headline tour was long overdue. Their music means a lot to me and so I was more than happy when they finally announced their first headline tour. I went to one of the earlier dates of the tour, at Rockpalast in Bochum, and here’s how it was.

Safehxen

The opener that night were Safehxen, a metalcore band from Herten, so more or less a local act. I’d seen them earlier this year as support for Waves Like Walls, so I knew what was ahead. It’s some solid metalcore and the crowd mostly vibed along. They seem to have a very loyal fanbase because I spotted some of the faces I’d seen at the show in Oberhausen earlier this year who really had a good time. Personally, I can’t really say that I picked up their enthusiasm. For me, it just didn’t click. It’s solid, but it’s not necessarily outstanding and somehow, their performance seemed a little bored and … unenthusiastic? I can’t really put it into words, but for me it felt like the band played the show like it was just any other show. It was lacking … soul.

Maybe it just didn’t click with me. Their music wasn’t bad, but it didn’t really spark joy. And I remember that the last time I saw them, I had a similar feeling about them. I always feel sorry whenever I write anything negative here, so once again I want to stress that it’s very personal, but … they’re not my jam, I guess. Thankfully they need me, they already have a solid fanbase though 😅

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Deliver the Galaxy

The second act of the night was a pretty big contrast. As special guest for their tour, Oceans brought Deliver the Galaxy along. According to Encyclopaedia Metallum, they’re from Quedlinburg in Saxony-Anhalt and their music can be considered Melodic Death Metal, but with a lot of science fiction themed songs, which also reflected somehow in the singer’s stage outfit. They also came with a familiar face: their guitarist Christian had been touring with Oceans as second guitarist.

Right from the start, they had an entirely different presence on stage which caught me. I had listened to their latest album before the show because for once I wanted to know what was ahead (often I don’t check out bands I don’t know in advance) and I had liked their music, so I was really looking forward to their show – and the way it started, I guessed I was in for a treat.

I was indeed. Their performance was great. I really enjoyed the entire set. Although I’m not much of a science fiction lover, their music struck a nerve with me. I liked their sound and songs like Bury Your Gods or Live. Die. Repeat. easily get stuck in your head. They’re also somehow great singalong songs because it’s easy to get the hang of it.

I personally had the impression that the entire atmosphere in the room had changed and that large parts of the crowd were more invested in their set. For me, they really were a great new discovery and I kept listening to their music after the show as well. The entire performance was impressive and pretty convincing and it showed that it doesn’t need much to put on a great show. I was fully convinced and I can’t wait to see them again next week in Vechta.

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Oceans

Let me quickly start with words of praise for Oceans. I discovered them in 2022 when they were opener for Blind Channel and quickly stuck with them because their music has a cathartic effect on me. Their lyrics put into words many of the things I’m struggling with and their shows help me scream and dance out all the negative emotions I tend to bottle up within me.

That night in Bochum, I had a feeling that I wasn’t the only one. The atmosphere during their show was incredibly intense. The show wasn’t sold out, the crowd wasn’t super big, but it felt like everyone inside of this room was part of some kind of safe bubble in which you could let out all your emotions, where you could just feel and be and be accepted. It was really fucking intense.

When I say the performance of Safehxen felt like it was lacking soul, like it was just any other show, I say that with the set of Oceans in mind, which felt like the complete opposite. When I say that everyone inside of the room was part of said bubble, I include the band on stage. One could feel and see that they were living and enjoying every second of the show as much as the crowd did. And that was striking somehow, because it’s something I feel like I haven’t felt at a show in quite a while. I’ve been to lots of really good concerts this year. Shows where I’ve had tons of fun, where the band put on a great show, where everyone was having a good time, but this somewhat intimate atmosphere was something you don’t get at every show. I think the last time I felt this way, where I really felt like people were going through some kind of „group catharsis“ was the Imminence show in Cologne last year.

Oceans really struck a nerve. It was an atmosphere of sharing, of acceptance. I saw other people in the crowd having a great time, which motivated me to let go even more, to just put out everything, and I was told by other people that they felt similar when they saw me, that it was my enthusiasm and energy that made them join the bubble in their own ways. That was a very special experience.

I’ll add the setlist at the end of this post. I feel like it wouldn’t do the show justice to just name the songs they played because back then, that night, what counted ten times more than which songs were played was the entire experience, and goddammit, after this show I can understand even less why Oceans aren’t a lot more popular than they are right now. Because I really feel like a lot more people might deserve to go through this experience of „shared vulnerability“.

Damn. I love this band. After each show, I love them a little more. I am so damn happy that they exist and I want to thank Timo for putting his struggles into words so that those of us who feel the same feel less alone. I want to thank this band for writing these songs, for creating these music.

Thank you for the catharsis. After your shows, I always feel like the weight on my shoulders has been lifted and like the demons in my head have shut up for a while.

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