Isis - Wavering Radiant [CD]

Conspiracy

April 20, 2009, 02:31 PM

Views: 782   Comments: 2

Buy Isis - Wavering Radiant [CD] From Amazon.com

The lesser known musical sub-genre bands such as "Isis" choose to inhabit, doesn't yet seem to have an actual concrete name. Some have come to refer to their unique cross-pollination of crushing guitars, molasses rhythms and soaring melodies as "post-metal" aligning the movement with the "post-rock" bands of yore (yore being the mid to late 1990's) such as 'Slint", 'Godspeed You Black Emperor!' and more recently 'Sigur Ros' (who have now found mainstream success thanks to the BBC's over enthusiastic use of Hoppipolla). These afore-mentioned bands tend to live by the mantra that a few chords, a splash of feedback and a whole lot of reverb can lead to epic, moving and incendiary music that could (in the right context) really change someones life. You could easily draw Isis into that world, however 'Wavering Radiant' (their 5th album) finds them dealing with a far more metallic sound. They have always been a metal band at heart, but this record is the first time Isis really let that element of their sound really take center stage and it's a bold move indeed. A large portion of Isis's fanbase most likely don't really have much time for traditional metal so bringing a few more traditional riffs and heavier, louder vocals into the mix this time around may scare a few fans of 'Panopticon' and 'In The Absence Of Truth' away. In essence though if you can look past the heavier reliance on riffs and coarse, death metal like growls, this album has more in common with Isis's earlier records than ITAOT's slight departure in sound and texture. This is a much more immediate record with less focus on build-ups and a more focused and dynamic sound. This could be partly attributed to the help of Tool's Adam Jones and Queens Of The Stoneage and Melvins' producer Joe Barresi who seems to have brought a much rawer sound to the table. The guitars are deeper and less clearly defined and the rhythm section seems to have been brought much further forward in the mix. There is also alot more for keyboardist Bryant Clifford Meyer to do this time around with the previously buried keyboard sounds now almost rivaling the guitars for space in the mix. It's a brave record but as with any record it stand or falls on it's songs so lets begin shall we.

Opener 'Hall Of The Dead' is pretty indicative of the record as a whole, it's deep, heavily focused riffage owing more to Metallica than Neurosis. However there remains a darker, ambient heart at the center of the song that is represented by subtle keyboards and distant backing vocals. The chorus (yes this song actually has one!) is a real powerhouse. The moment about 3 minutes in when the heavy church organs and feral howls click into place is just about the most powerful thing I've heard this year and the mournful, ambient section that follows is really beautiful. It stands in harsh contrast to the heavier sections and the effect is astounding, the only other band who can pull off this trick as effectively in my estimation is Opeth and that's really putting Isis in lofty company. 'Ghost Key' follows and overall is a slightly more subdued affair with it's circular, clean guitar patterns and tumbling rhythms. There are still moments of extreme aggression but here they serve more to counter the lighter moments as opposed to the other way around (which is the route most other tracks on this album choose to take). The songs mid-section arrives amidst a blissed out haze of post-rock guitars and a hauntingly melodic vocal passage from Turner (these sections really bring to mind The Appleseed Cast's superb 'Low Level Owl' albums) which cuts to a breakdown where the melodic and aggressive vocals almost meld into one. Taken on their own terms this effect almost makes Turner sound like (don't crucify me for this please) early noughties one hit wonder Andrew WK (anyone remember him? because i truly wish i didn't) but set against such a lush backdrop it's actually really effective, a truly powerful moment and a truly powerful song that is probably (today at least) my favorite song of this set.

'Hand Of The Host' is the longest track on the record and perhaps the most trying. It's pretty typical stuff (for Isis at least) and aside from a killer breakdown about 6 minutes in the song seems to drag it's heels a little. I think the problem here is the songs over reliance on atmosphere, there are no hooks here at-all and while that may be fine for 'doom' or 'drone' metal bands such as Earth or Sunn 0))), with Isis one goes into a record expecting a few decent hooks and HOTH just doesn't deliver on that front. It does pick up at the end though where it climaxes in a build=up that would have sounded out of place on their last album, but it's too little too late. After the title track (which is a short, calculated and yet admittedly effective way to cut the album into two halves) we kick back into gear with 'Stone To Wake A Serpent'. This is an incredibly powerful song with some of the records strongest riffs and ideas, there are more layers here than I have ever heard Isis use before and this gives the song a noticeably more ghostly and ethereal sound. A distant, droning piano sits behind a sky-scraping wall of guitars and some of Turners most impressive melodic vocal moments. The final 2 minutes act almost as a coda to what has preceded with screwdriver guitar (a technique perfected by GYBE!) with Aaron Harris's relaxed, polyrhythmic groove working against Jeff Caxide's fluid bass (it should be noted that this record consistently contains some of the most striking bass parts and tones have heard in a good while) and Turners most restrained delivery.

'20 Minutes/40 years' was the first track to be unveiled to the public earlier this month and it's easy to see why. It's a fantastic track which contains some of the bands most dynamic and moving moments with the stunning closing section deserving of particular praise. A glacial vocal line wafts over a gently building guitar duel which is joined by Caxide's trademark delayed bass and Harris's perfectly measured drum fills. Finally it explodes back into life and you realise you have just witnessed the peak of this bands power. That's not to say the record runs out of steam here though, closing track 'Threshold of Transformation' is an absolute stunner, it condenses everything Isis do better than anyone else into 10 beautiful, brutal and dynamic minutes. As apposed to many of the songs on the record 'Threshold' bursts right out of the gates with all the brutal anguish of Pantera, it actually made me jump (which might have something to do with how loud I had the stereo cranked). It would be pointless to go into any more detail as I would just end up repeating myself but suffice to say it's far from an anti-climax.

Having seen Isis live last year I can safely say that if their overall goal was to record an album as indicative of their live shows as possible they have succeeded. They are one of the tightest bands working in metal today and that never really came through before this album. For those fans weary of change though please feel sated in the knowledge that Michael Gallaghers trademark landslide guitar sound remains intact and the rhythm section is as strong as ever, it's really only the vocals here that mark a departure, whether or not it's a positive step is something I have yet to decide. It's not their best album but it's certainly one of their heaviest and most immediately gratifying so it's great place to start the uninitiated before leading them onto the deeper and more fulfilling pastures offered by Panopticon and Oceanic.

P.S - Please take into account I gave this record 4 full spins before even beginning my review. It's really not the kind of record you 'get' first time round (indeed neither are Isis as a band), so if you don't have the patience to really absorb this record I wouldn't recommend it.

Tracklisting

1. *Hall Of The Dead*
2. *Ghost Key*
3. Hand Of The Host
4. Wavering Radient
5. Stone To Wake A Serpent
6. *20 Minutes/40 Years*
7. *Threshold Of Transformation*

#1 | Subscribe | Send to Friend | Print | Discipline | Report