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BIZARRE: Oceansize - You Need To See This

Sleep Token love them. Progressive guitar heroes worship them. But they imploded spectacularly. This is the story of unsung prog icons Oceansize: “We put ourselves through hell because we knew we were better than everybody else in the music industry”

Major players including Misha Mansoor and Yvette Young have cited Oceansize as an influence, yet the combustible UK outfit remain under the radar – in part because they simply cannot be imitated

“It was not possible to get a left-handed Jazzmaster in this country. Fender told me, ‘You might as well be ringing Ibanez – we just don’t make them’”: Mike Vennart on the Squier Strats that are simply unbeatable – and why he hates acoustics

“It was not possible to get a left-handed Jazzmaster in this country. Fender told me, ‘You might as well be ringing Ibanez – we just don’t make them’”: Mike Vennart on the Squier Strats that are simply unbeatable – and why he hates acoustics

The former Oceansize and long-time Biffy Clyro touring guitarist on his love of off-the-beaten-path six-strings and why you've got to try before you buy

“An op-art Blue Meanie with doves for ears and a planet for an eye? It’s more Marillion than Smiths”: The new wave band who dabbled with prog and inspired The Pineapple Thief, Oceansize and others

“An op-art Blue Meanie with doves for ears and a planet for an eye? It’s more Marillion than Smiths”: The new wave band who dabbled with prog and inspired The Pineapple Thief, Oceansize and others

Prog writer Jo Kendall reckons they did, inspiring the likes of Oceansize along the way...

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Mike Vennart records new vocals on unheard material for reissue of Oceansize's Self Preserved While The Bodies Float Up

Oceansize's final album, 2010's Self Preserved While The Bodies Float Up, to be reissued on triple vinyl in October

“Sleep Token are big fans of what we did, and they’re the biggest rock band in the world right now. That means a lot”: From Oceansize to Biffy Clyro and now Cardiacs, Mike Vennart is one of the UK’s greatest under-the-radar guitar talents

With a style somewhere between shred, Slayer and Pavement, Mike Vennart has headlined some of the world’s biggest festivals, played with Dave Lombardo, and now he’s fronting his all-time favorite band. He attempts to make sense of the many twists and turns in his career

“We always try to go for it, always try to have that relentless ride." Dream Theater and the making of Black Clouds & Silver Linings

In 2009 we sat down with Mike Portnoy to discuss Dream Theater's tenth album Black Clouds & Silver Linings, little realising it would be his last with the band for 15 years!

“Some people think it’s my most optimistic record… I don’t hear that at all. I don’t feel like a comfortable person any more”: Mike Vennart’s latest album is all about his anger

Forgiveness & The Grain in one aspect of a three-pronged attack used by the former Oceansize fontman to achieve everything he wants to

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“I send two delays out to an amp each and pan them. You get this glorious wash that makes you feel like you’re on drugs”: With Oceansize, Mike Vennart influenced a generation of progressive guitarists – and he’s not ruling out a reunion

“I send two delays out to an amp each and pan them. You get this glorious wash that makes you feel like you’re on drugs”: With Oceansize, Mike Vennart influenced a generation of progressive guitarists – and he’s not ruling out a reunion

The Empire State Bastard riff-meister and Biffy Clyro guitarist has produced some of his best work with his latest solo album, Forgiveness & The Grain. He breaks down his otherworldly tone secrets, and explains what made The Verve’s Nick McCabe a guitar Jedi – and why the Pro Co Rat…

“I knew how to play the whole of Misplaced Childhood when I was 12. I can’t bear to listen to it now – it reminds me of being a miserable 12-year-old”: How former Oceansize member Mike Vennart grew up and moved on

“I knew how to play the whole of Misplaced Childhood when I was 12. I can’t bear to listen to it now – it reminds me of being a miserable 12-year-old”: How former Oceansize member Mike Vennart grew up and moved on

The band that made his name was a “troublesome, difficult” experience, but becoming a dad helped him put it all behind him

Listen to Fractal, the first new Vennart music for four years!

Listen to Fractal, the first new Vennart music for four years!

Former Oceansize man Mike Vennart will release brand new album Forgiveness & The Grain in February

Biffy Clyro, blast-beats and Brexit: how Simon Neil and Mike Vennart made one of the extreme metal albums of the year with Empire State Bastard

Biffy Clyro, blast-beats and Brexit: how Simon Neil and Mike Vennart made one of the extreme metal albums of the year with Empire State Bastard

Far-right trolls and a shared love for experimental, extreme music helped unite Biffy Clyro's Simon Neil and Mike Vennart in Empire State Bastard

"These songs aren’t written to be your friend, they're written to protect you": supergroup Empire State Bastard want you to join their riot

"These songs aren’t written to be your friend, they're written to protect you": supergroup Empire State Bastard want you to join their riot

Members of Biffy Clyro, Slayer, Oceansize and Bitch Falcon have combined to form rock's most exciting new supergroup

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