Isis, The Final Chapter!

Well, it has finally arrived, the last post of the Isis extravaganza. And it comes on a fitting day, as I just purchased 'In The Absence of Truth' today. Anyway, I have Live.01,.02,.03,.04, and Oceanic - Remixes and Reinterpretations. I have actually run out of things to say about Isis for now, so I will just be putting everything up without much text. There is nothing new on any of these, and their titles are pretty self explanatory, so you won't need me anyway.

Isis - Live.01
Country: USA
Genre: Post-Metal
Track List:
1. Carry – 6:59
2. Hym – 9:31
3. Weight – 13:29
4. The Beginning and the End – 10:24

Total Play Time - 39:43

Download: Isis - Live.01

Isis - Live.02
Country: USA
Genre: Post-Metal
Track List:
1. From Sinking – 10:56
2. Glisten – 7:11
3. Carry – 7:30
4. Weight – 13:09
5. The Beginning and the End – 9:48
6. Celestial (Ext./Alt. Version) – 17:25
Total Play Time - 65:19

Download: Isis - Live.02

Isis - Live.03
Country: USA
Genre: Post-Metal
Track List:
1. So Did We – 8:43
2. Backlit – 8:40
3. The Beginning and the End – 9:24
4. In Fiction – 10:15
5. Wills Dissolve – 7:29
6. Grinning Mouths – 8:51
7. Altered Course – 15:38
Total Play Time - 67:40

Download: Isis - Live.03

Isis - Live.04
Country: USA
Genre: Post-Metal
Track List:
1. Gentle Time – 8:54
2. Glisten – 6:57
3. C.F.T. – 8:02
4. Celestial – 10:49
5. Improv 1 / Endless Nameless (K. Cobain) – 8:01
6. False Light – 8:30
7. Weight (instrumental version) – 12:25
Total Play Time - 63:38

Download: Isis - Live.04

Isis - Oceanic: Remixes and Reinterpretations
Country: USA
Genre: Post-Metal
Track List:
Disc One
1. Weight – 6:34
2. False Light (Carry Edit) – 7:53
3. Hym – 6:19
4. The Other – 9:49
5. Carry – 4:26
6. Maritime – 9:24
7. Maritime – 3:43
Disc Two
1. The Beginning and the End – 5:05
2. Carry – 5:21
3. False Light (Deadverse) – 5:30
4. Carry: Like I Will Love Her Forever? (Fuckin Die!!!) – 5:51
5. From: Sinking, To: Drowning – 7:14
6. Hym – 14:54
Total Play Time - 89:23

Download: Isis - Oceanic R&R Disc I
Download: Isis - Oceanic R&R Disc II

Isis, The Perfection Continues...

Today I have another installment of the Isis collection. All four of their EPs are here for the taking. I hope you all enjoy this, the third installment is due sometime next week.

Isis - Mosquito Control
Country: USA
Genre: Post-Metal
Track List:
1. Poison Eggs – 6:42
2. Life Under the Swatter – 5:50
3. Hive Destruction – 4:10
4. Relocation Swarm – 11:43
Total Play Time - 27:45

Starting in 1998, Isis put out there first release. An EP by the name of Mosquito Control. This EP should be taken in one shot. This is pretty much one song split into four, and it shouldn't be too hard to listen to the whole thing in one sitting considering its short play time. This is the first release to start the mosquito theme that appears within Isis' future releases.

Download: Isis - Mosquito Control

Isis - The Red Sea
Country: USA
Genre: Post-Metal
Track List:
1. Charmicarmicarmicat Shines to Earth – 2:23
2. The Minus Times – 5:26
3. Red Sea – 7:20
4. Smiles and Handshakes – 6:02
5. Catalyst – 4:26
6. Ochre – 4:41
7. Lines Across Eyes – 5:47
Total Play Time - 35:25

Their next release same a year later in the form of The Red Sea. When originally released it was made up of three tracks, now it is seven. With the first three tracks being the original three, they show a slight evolution towards what Isis was on their first release. The next four songs are from their 1998 demo, and obviously have a different feel to them.

Download: Isis - The Red Sea

Isis - Sawblade
Country: USA
Genre: Post-Metal
Track List:
1. Emission of the Signal – 4:53
2. Streetcleaner – 5:42
3. Hand of Doom – 8:36
4. House of Low Culture – 11:09
Total Play Time - 30:20

The next EP was in the same year. Sawblade, originally released on 200 self made CD-Rs by Isis while on tour, is only a four song showing. It has a slightly softer feel to it then does The Red Sea. I've been trying to get my hands on this for a while but nothing doing. Two of the four songs on this record are covers, track two a cover of Godflesh, and track three a cover of Black Sabbath.

Download: Isis - Sawblade

Isis - SGNL>05
Country: USA
Genre: Post-Metal
Track List:
1. SGNL>05 (Final Transmission) – 2:52
2. Divine Mother (The Tower Crumbles) – 9:16
3. Beneath Below – 4:54
4. Constructing Towers – 8:24
5. Celestial (Signal Fills the Void) – 10:22
Total Play Time - 35:19

Their latest EP dropped in 2001. SGNL>05 is seen as a true extension onto their Celestial release. With many of the same themes being evident through the two releases, it is hard to deny their similarity. For the last track of this EP, Broadwick (mixer/producer) pulled some influence from his work with Godflesh and Jesu to remix the opening track from Celestial.

Download: Isis - SGNL>05

Isis...Self Explanatory!

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

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