Gippsland’s hardest-working export is about to have its biggest year yet. Ocean Sleeper — the regional Victoria metalcore four-piece who’ve quietly become one of Australia’s most exciting heavy exports — have officially announced their sophomore album, “Peace When I’m Dead,” due globally on August 21 via BMG Australia/Rise Records. To mark the occasion, the band has unleashed the album’s title track and its accompanying video, and if you’re not already bracing for impact, consider this your warning.

Watch the video for “Peace When I’m Dead” here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46v_cLTsLIY

Following their comeback single “Break The Cycle” — which has already blown past 200,000 Spotify streams and clawed its way into rotation on SiriusXM’s Octane and Liquid Metal, becoming the 48th most-played track across the network — “Peace When I’m Dead” doubles down on everything Ocean Sleeper does best. It’s crushing, cathartic, and cinematic, with Freeman Films (Tones & I, Parkway Drive) returning behind the camera to deliver a visual companion that hits every bit as hard as the song itself.

Thematically, the record is a deep dive into the ugly stuff. Grief, guilt, regret, depression, and the endless internal war we all wage in silence. Frontman Karl Spiessl doesn’t sugarcoat it: “This band has never been afraid to dive into the darker parts of our lives, and this album is no exception. 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.”

The album was tracked across three continents — Ionei Heckenberg’s home studio in Melbourne, plus sessions in Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon — and mixed and mastered by metalcore powerhouse Jeff Dunne (Make Them Suffer, Disturbed, Knocked Loose). Producers Jon Lundin (Falling In Reverse, Point North, Set It Off) and Curt Martin (Catch Your Breath, Kami Kehoe) round out a credit list that reads like a who’s-who of the modern heavy scene. The globe-trotting recording process feels fitting for a band that has built its loyal international following the hard way — through relentless touring, DIY grind, and refusing to take no for an answer.

Speaking of touring, Ocean Sleeper aren’t easing back into this. Between now and February 2027, the band will play 82 shows worldwide. That includes UK and European support dates with Nevertel through June and July, their biggest-ever Australian headline run in September, a return to the US with Nevertel, a spot on Parkway Drive’s Hellbound Cruise in October, and a massive European and UK support run with Catch Your Breath to kick off 2027.

“Taking so many negative emotions and transforming them into something positive, almost spiritual for the live setting — where people can scream the words back and release their own demons — is something we’re proud to share with our fans,” Spiessl says. “Peace When I’m Dead was written with live energy at its core, and we can’t wait to take it on tour.”

“Peace When I’m Dead” arrives August 21. Pre-order it, mark your calendar, and get your screaming voice warmed up — this one is going to be loud, heavy, and healing in equal measure.