1. Shamayim 2. Firmament 3. The First Commandment Of The Luminaries 4. Ptolemy Was Wrong 5. Metaphysics Of The Hangman 6. Catharsis Of A Heretic 7. Swallowed By The Earth 8. Epiphany 9. The Origin Of Species 10. The Origin Of God The songs, art and lyrics of this album tell the story of the rise of the heliocentric world view - the idea that the earth revolves around the sun, and that the sun is stationary and at the center of the universe. Copernicus and Gallilei were the first popular ambassadors of this idea, although ancient greek astronomers like Aristarchus had already posited this theory centuries before. The effects that this discovery had on Christian belief and occidental culture are at the base of The Ocean's "Heliocentric" album. Throughout the course of the album, the lyrics are orbiting around an astronomic and a philosophical / religious subject, whilst always keeping an essentially personal perspective. The journey starts with the creation of the firmament in Genesis 1:6-20 (Firmament) and ancient explanations of the movement of celestial bodies in 1 Enoch 72:2-5 (The 1st Commandment of the Luminaries), continues with Copernicus and Galilei, the first propagators of heliocentrism who were not yet in conflict with the church (Ptolemy Was Wrong) and Giordano Bruno, who was burnt at the stake of the Catholic inquisition for being a Heretic (Catharis of a Heretic). Arthur Rimbaud's criticism of moral law in his essay Reasons not to believe in God and Nietzsche's rejection of fundamental Christian values has inspired the lyrics to Metaphysics of the Hangman. The album concludes with the greatest achievement in the history of modern science, Darwin's theory of evolution (The Origin of Species) and ideas inspired by evolution biologist and passionate atheist Richard Dawkins (The Origin of God, Epiphany). Metal Blade Records item #148992
