A French progressive rock quartet that had some regional success in the late 1970s and early '80s, Ocean specialized in a heady blend of stadium-ready hard rock and prog-influenced heavy metal. Founded in 1974 by guitarist Georges Bodossian, who cites Yes' Tales from Topographic Oceans as the inspiration for the band's name, Ocean released three well-received albums between 1976 and 1981, and were often referred to as a leading force in the New Wave of French Heavy Metal. Their 1976 debut LP, God's Clown, was sung entirely in English, and drew comparisons to contemporaries like Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, and King Crimson. The group's eponymous sophomore studio long player saw Ocean writing in their native tongue, as did 1980's A Live + B, but multiple personnel changes and some shady label chicanery resulted in the band ceasing operations, outside of a handful of singles, in the early '80s. Over the next couple of decades, the band issued a handful of compilations, and would often re-form for short tours, but no new studio music would be released until 2016's aptly named C'est la Fin. ~ James Christopher Monger