The official video for TRAELS’ ‘Ocean’ arrives on November 12, 2026, one day before the single reaches all streaming platforms. The announcement credits TRAELS with the performance, Yulia Moar with production and Lien Van Glabeke as the featured participant.
‘Ocean’ is the third single from the Belgian progressive metal band’s second album, A Study of Absence, and serves as its opening song. The album is due November 20, 2026 through Polderrecords, with pre-orders available through the label.
The song addresses guilt, silence and surrender. The announcement describes it as ‘a confession whispered to the deep’ and frames its central image as a tide deciding what remains and what is washed away.
For A Study of Absence, TRAELS describes a heavier, more dynamic direction with additional space for vocals, groove and layering. The announcement also highlights ‘Enigmatic Resonance,’ ‘Centered’ and ‘The Weight Of Ease’ alongside ‘Ocean.’
Formed in Belgium in 2023, the four-piece combines atmospheric passages and heaviness with an emphasis on tension and release. Its stated musical influences include VOLA, Plini, TesseracT, Karnivool, Leprous and The Ocean, with life itself also cited as an inspiration.
Guitarist Korneel Lauwereins explains the balance behind that approach: ‘It’s great to see our music resonates with such a wide audience. We aim for that sweet spot between musically interesting, a challenge to play, but at the same time, also easy listening.’
The band’s debut album, The Abyss Within, was released in 2024. According to the supplied biography, it reached both old-school metal listeners and progressive metal audiences, received coverage from Belgian and international press, and sold out its first vinyl pressing. Rock Tribune’s quoted assessment was ‘Prachtplaat!’
TRAELS subsequently performed at ProgPower Europe 2025, opening the festival’s final day for an international audience of progressive metal listeners. The biography describes the band’s performances in clubs, theatres and festivals as tight and textured.
The lineup consists of Jason VanAcker on drums and vocals, Korneel Lauwereins and Sven Caura on guitars, and Kristof Taveirne on bass.
