Sunday, July 14, 2013

Isis

Next, we revel in an enigmatic band that continues to blow minds. It--is Isis.












Beginning in their early days in Boston, Massachusetts in late 1997 as a sludge-hardcore band, Isis soon became an underground staple for saw blade harsh mega-exploration via their Mosquito Control EP. Isis continued to release EP's like The Red Sea, their 1998 demo,  and 1999's Sawblade


From a darker, gruffer vocal style, Isis soon merged with carefully-constructed, sometimes etheric melodies in their first full-length, Celestial, and its extension EP SGNL<05.




In developing their stylistic choices, Isis balances gentle, lulling tones against descents of destructive thrash/prog-metal prowess to meticulous extremes in their cornerstone LP, Oceanic. This LP portrayed a true progression for Isis as more of the music focuses around sustained movements of repetition that build to towering heights.





After completely evolving from their previous style of wrestling with sludge and drone, Isis assemble their most sweeping, lulling, and methodical album, Panopticon, in 2004. Having no where to go but even heavier in an abstract sense, Isis released In The Absence of Truth in 2007.


Finally, tapping into an even more "Glisten"-ing sound, Isis released a final album: Wavering Radiant in 2009.

By the time 2010 came Isis collectively felt they had achieved everything they had set out to achieve in being a band, and decided break up following their final show in Montreal. This location seemed appropriate considering their first show was in Montreal--it represented the full progression of the band, from genesis to the their final departure. Shortly following their dissolution they released two songs on a Melvins split, one was a bonus track on the Japanese release of 2009's Wavering Radiant, the other is Pliable Foe. This track is fitting closure to their collection and embodies everything that is mystical about Isis.



Isis continue to release previously unreleased bonus tracks, but maintain that they still have no anticipation of reforming.

Feel the weight,

King Bong and SubTemplum




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