Ocean Sleeper and RedHook

Gippsland's metalcore kings, Ocean Sleeper, are going back to their roots with their biggest regional Australian tour yet.

2026 was a breakout year for the band. Their second album, Peace When I'm Dead, debuted at #2 on the ARIA Australian Albums Chart (#7 on the national ARIA Albums Chart), they signed a global record deal with BMG / Rise Records, and they toured the world. Back home, the Peace When I'm Dead national tour sold out every city, and it was the band's biggest and most ambitious run to date. Now they're taking the album to regional Australia.

Since forming in 2016, Ocean Sleeper have built their platform on honesty, authenticity and a DIY attitude. Their sound blends crushing metalcore intensity with deeply personal lyrics and huge melodies. From their debut album Don't Leave Me This Way (2019) through to the Maybe Death Is All I Need EP (2024), the band have kept pushing the boundaries of modern heavy music.

The years leading into 2026 saw Ocean Sleeper build a growing global audience the hard way. They played multiple sold-out headline tours at home, headlined across the USA, and made debut appearances in the UK, Europe and Japan. Sharing stages with genre leaders and delivering unforgettable festival sets, they've proven themselves a commanding force on record and live.

Peace When I'm Dead captures the weight of grief, guilt and regret. It shows the band's willingness to explore the darker corners of the human experience, confronting inner turmoil, depression and deep emotional lows head-on. Acknowledging, expressing and releasing those feelings gives Ocean Sleeper's music its powerful sense of catharsis and connection.

"This band has never been afraid to dive into the darker parts of our lives, and this album is no exception," says vocalist Karl Spiessl. "At its core, the record explores the ongoing battle we have with ourselves – that constant inner struggle that can feel endless. It's about coming to terms with the idea that this conflict may always be part of the human experience, and learning to accept that reality."

Ocean Sleeper's 2026 has been relentless, at home and abroad: Froth & Fury Festival, Polaris's Life's A Beach in Melbourne, a sold-out capital city tour, and Parkway Drive's Hellbound Cruise. They followed three back-to-back sold-out capital city headline tours with international runs across the UK and Europe, Japan and the USA. Now Ocean Sleeper brings Peace When I'm Dead to regional Australia on their longest Australian headline tour yet, bigger and stronger than ever.