OCEAN OF ILLUSIONS approached their forthcoming Nexus EP by having each member write a song in their own style before combining those ideas with the band’s existing material. The New Jersey death metal band will release the six-track EP digitally on October 30, 2026, through Bleeding Art Collective.
In the announcement supplied by EARSPLIT PR, the band connects that process to the record’s title: “ʻNexus’ is defined as a connection or series of connections linking two or more things or a central focal point. The definition resonated with us and what we’re trying to accomplish.” They describe the EP as a representation of each member’s artistic approach and an opportunity to test different possibilities.
“The plan was to have every member write a song in their style and we mesh it into what we already had going,” the band explains. The process involved uncertainty as well as revisions: “We were anxious and had doubts but once the finished product came out, we were surprised with the outcome.”
That exchange also shaped the relationship between the EP and the band’s earlier work. “We all come with different perspectives of heavy music so it makes it a bit interesting,” OCEAN OF ILLUSIONS states. “While some of the tracks may be callbacks to Unrecognizable thematically, instrumentally we experimented with different styles for this EP.”
Nexus follows the band’s debut album, Unrecognizable, released in 2022, and material including the single “Helminth.” The supplied announcement identifies European melodic death metal, djentcore and New York death metal among the band’s influences. It also notes previous shared bills with The Black Dahlia Murder, Ingested, The Last Ten Seconds Of Life and Bodysnatcher.
The songs “Nexus” and “Doomed” were released as singles in 2025. According to the press announcement, the video for “Doomed” had reached 129,000 views on Slam Worldwide. Both songs appear on the EP, whose running order is “Nexus,” “Doomed,” “Imminent Incursion,” “Ash Hoarder,” “A Breath To Conquer The World” and “Illuminating In Pain.”
Dave Ricco of Face Yourself mixed and mastered Nexus. The announcement lists OCEAN OF ILLUSIONS as Zachary Howard on vocals, Kedwin Ramirez on drums and Kevin Kim on guitar.
