Alright, it had been a while since I had listened to Isis, but the other day I found Panopticon on vinyl, and I have since re-fallen in love with them. I really can't find anything bad to say about these guys, and their semi-side project 'Red Sparowes' are another favourite of mine as you might already know. Originally I was going to do this as one big monster post, but I have since decided against that. I will instead be uploading this in two or three shifts, starting with LPs, followed by EPs, followed by lives and remixes. So, for you guys today, I have their four studio albums. Website
Isis - Celestial
Country: USA
Genre: Post-Metal
Track List:
1. SGNL>01 0:55
2. Celestial (The Tower) 9:42
3. Glisten 6:35
4. Swarm Reigns (Down) 6:02
5. SGNL>02 0:51
6. Deconstructing Towers 7:30
7. SGNL>03 0:35
8. Collapse and Crush 5:55
9. C.F.T. (New Circuitry and Continued Evolution) 5:43
10. Gentle Time 7:02
11. SGNL>04 (End Transmission) 1:07
Total Play Time - 49:57
Starting in 2000, their third release but first full length. Based on sludge and drone ideals, this album is just an idea of what Isis was to become. Although a little different from their newer stuff this album holds a special place in my heart just because you can see the potential for greatness is there, and being able to watch that come to fruition over the next three albums is something that you can't help but love.
Download: Isis - Celestial
Country: USA
Genre: Post-Metal
Track List:
1. SGNL>01 0:55
2. Celestial (The Tower) 9:42
3. Glisten 6:35
4. Swarm Reigns (Down) 6:02
5. SGNL>02 0:51
6. Deconstructing Towers 7:30
7. SGNL>03 0:35
8. Collapse and Crush 5:55
9. C.F.T. (New Circuitry and Continued Evolution) 5:43
10. Gentle Time 7:02
11. SGNL>04 (End Transmission) 1:07
Total Play Time - 49:57
Starting in 2000, their third release but first full length. Based on sludge and drone ideals, this album is just an idea of what Isis was to become. Although a little different from their newer stuff this album holds a special place in my heart just because you can see the potential for greatness is there, and being able to watch that come to fruition over the next three albums is something that you can't help but love.
Download: Isis - Celestial
Isis - Oceanic Country: USA
Genre: Post-Metal
Track List:
1. The Beginning and the End 8:02
2. The Other 7:15
3. False Light 7:42
4. Carry 6:48
5. - 2:05
6. Maritime 3:03
7. Weight 10:46
8. From Sinking 8:24
9. Hym 9:13
Total Play Time -63:20
Continuing on to 2002, Isis release Oceanic. This is where we begin to see Isis forge their style. This album is a departure from their earlier releases, evident by the use of more clean guitar parts that seem to be influenced heavily by post-rock. With a mix of sludge, drone, and post-rock, the inception of post-metal came about. Even though you could argue that the framework for post-metal was already there, I believe this album invented the genre as we know it today.
Download: Isis - Oceanic Part I
Download: Isis - Oceanic Part II
Isis - Panopticon Country: USA
Genre: Post-Metal
Track List:
1. So Did We 7:30
2.Backlit 7:43
3. In Fiction 8:59
4. Wills Dissolve 6:47
5. Syndic Calls 9:40
6. Altered Course 9:58
7. Grinning Mouths 8:27
Total Play Time - 57:04
To 2004, a few months after my 16th birthday, comes what I think of as the pinnacle in Isis' career. Panopticon is by far my favourite Isis release. Based on the idea by Jeremy Bentham and Michel Foucault, of a prison where every prisoner could be watched at all times without knowing that they were being watched. I'm not very good at explaining it so if you're interested, check this out. Building upon their tower theme that is flowing through each release, they deliver a work of art.
Download: Isis - Panopticon
Isis - In The Absence of Truth Country: USA
Genre: Post-Metal
Track List:
1. Wrists of Kings 7:45
2. Not in Rivers, but in Drops 7:48
3. Dulcinea 7:10
4. Over Root and Thorn 8:31
5. 1,000 Shards 6:17
6. All Out of Time, All Into Space 3:04
7. Holy Tears 7:04
8. Firdous e Bareen 7:50
9. Garden of Light 9:17
Total Play Time - 64:49
Their last release was in 2006, In The Absence of Truth. A mediocre release by Isis. With the possibilty of greatness in their midst, they seem to have gone in a completely different direction. Instead of forging into undiscovered territory, Isis seem to fall back into a post-rock/progressive grey area. From any other band, this album might be a step forward, but for Isis, it's three back. A band that almost prides itself on it's perfection lets to many seemingly sloppy riffs get through, not to mention that at least one of them must have been on a major Tool kick because this album has Tool influences all over. I have been seeing mixed reviews about this album, and have been told that it takes a bunch of careful listens to really see the mastery behind it, so maybe i'm wrong.
Download: Isis - In The Absence of Truth
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