Among alt-music’s more intrepid listeners, “Pelagic Records” is a seal of quality on par with “Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino”. The progressively minded label, founded by The Ocean guitarist Robin Staps 15 years ago, signs acts of almost any subgenre and never misses.
It’s produced cult masterpieces from post-metal bands, synth solo artists and everybody in between, with the catalogue being so good that it has a following all its own: subscribers pay monthly to blindly receive each new release, safe in the knowledge it’ll bang.
Such an eclectic and excellent canon can make it hard to know where to start. But worry not! Below, Hammer has compiled the five essential Pelagic albums that you need to hear.
Nebra – Sky Disk (2009)
After founding Pelagic in 2009, Robin immediately used it to promote bands he admired. The label’s first non-Ocean release was the Sky Disk EP from Swiss prog/post-metal outfit Nebra. Its heavy but winding riffs make it ideal for fans of Isis, Mastodon and even The Ocean themselves.
NEBRA – Shoulder Of Orion – YouTube 
Mono – The Last Dawn / Rays Of Sunlight (2014)
Pelagic had been focusing on niche European bands, so signing Japanese post-rock heavyweights Mono was a step up. The label released two new albums from the collective simultaneously – The Last Dawn showcased Mono’s symphonic side, while Rays Of Darkness was stripped-down rock.
MONO – Rays Of Darkness – Full Stream – YouTube 
Cult Of Luna & The Old Wind – Råångest (2016)
Though Pelagic never signed Cult Of Luna, they have a release from the post-metal icons in their catalogue. In 2016, the label released this split EP between the Swedes and sludge aggressors The Old Wind. It’s only 17 minutes long, but crammed with teeth-grinding nastiness.
Various – The Others (Lustmord Deconstructed) (2022)
This tribute to cult musician Lustmord is the most star-studded project under the Pelagic banner. Enslaved, Ihsahn, Godflesh, Ulver and more join such signees as Mono and The Ocean to transform cuts from the Welshman’s 2008 album, The Other. An eclectic, bleak masterclass.
Lustmord – The Others (Lustmord Deconstructed) – Full Album – YouTube 
The Ocean – Holocene (2023)
For years, The Ocean released their music physically via Pelagic and digitally via Metal Blade. Before Holocene, however, the Germans jumped ship and became exclusive to Robin’s label. In an 8/10 review, Hammer’s Alex Deller said of the record that ‘every element is carefully and expertly interwoven.’
THE OCEAN – Parabiosis – Official Video – YouTube 