Track Listing

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

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #13781 in Music
• Released on: 2009-05-04
• Number of discs: 1

CD Description
Fifth full-length album, and follow-up to 2006's 'In The Absence Of Truth', from one of the most revered and influential bands in heavy music, pioneers of the style that has come to be called "post-metal". Whilst the previous album emphasized their more ambient side, this release sees something of a return to the rawer, more metallic style of their earlier work and manages to condense their epic, enveloping sound into a series of more focused pieces than ever before.

Customer Reviews

The Best Yet.

Progression doesn't have to be extravagant, oh no. Isis have progressed over the years, whilst maintaining the consistency that has seen them rise to prominence. Its difficult to believe that this is Isis' fifth full-length and that they've been around for longer than a decade because they still play with the same enthusiasm that took their sound to new heights back in the early days, at the turn of the century. Alongside the consistency, Isis have always managed to maintain there delightful sludge roots and hardcore background, shown most fittingly in the . Though the sound has evolved along the same lines as many other bands - towards sounding like Neurosis - Isis have managed to do what countless other bands have failed disastrously at - keeping their identity intact whilst still being able to induce similar feelings that bands like Neurosis have classically provided for many years now. Aside from the obvious influence, I cannot help but relate some of the material back to bands like Tool, who're subjected to a lot of criticism from die-hard metal fans though, of course, there is a section that is in love with them. Isis, like Tool, construct unfamiliar and almost tribal sounding songs (which comes across in the subtleties of the record, not the most impacting elements) that disparage the normality of the scene, whilst welcoming experimentation with a passionate embrace. Although Tool have received a lot of criticism from sections of the metal public for being overly pretentious and downright dull, Isis have never adhered to these criticisms. From the early days of `Celestial', Isis have always made it publicly known who their influences are, but they have also managed to set aside those issues and concentrate fully on developing their own sound, which has grown stronger and stronger as they've progressed through the records.

In fact, `In the Absence of Truth' was my definitive favourite after its release and up until now because, and this may be bold considering their illustrious history, `Wavering Radiant' has surpassed all previous efforts in its successful bid to steal the crown of glory away from the hands of iconic records like the mammoth `Oceanic', with its deeply affecting aquatic appearance, using a style of production that was as deep as the ocean and an approach on vocals that was as vicious as some of the life that lives within the mysterious depths of the dangerous sea. The fascination behind bands like Isis is never likely to die down and for me, long may it continue. `Wavering Radiant' is a fine example of what goes in to making a fine sludge record, one that can maintain its roots, but also allow more adventurous elements prosper; such as the supposed post-rock influences (something that many bands seem to be taking on these days). Although many people do argue that Isis have adopted new themes into their existing sound, the band haven't altered too much since `Panopticon', which is the headquarters for the movement towards a new style. Elements of `Celestial' and `Oceanic', like the exaggerated production that had a tendency to apply metaphorical hyperbolic themes to the songs and vocals, which surreal in approach since they obviously contain a lot of Turner's accent - this small, but often noticeable difference between Isis and any other sludge band is important, no matter how small the details are because it provides us listeners with something fresh, with new appeal.

Turner's performance has always been the most recognisable and instantly appraisable aspect of the Isis sound. He is a constant source of enjoyment for the listener, who likes to indulge in listening to his passionate vocals that can come across as typical of the hard-faced genre that is sludge, but have enough character and evident pride to be taken lightly. A lot of the time, sludge is made or broken on the basis of the vocals. They need to be strong, but not overpowering. Often is the case that the vocals can harm the instrumentation, typically the bass and other subtle elements, but Turner doesn't allow this to happen due to his experience within the field. Isis are too wise for errors that existed on records like `Celestial' to still pose a problem for the audience nowadays. The modern day Isis is almost without fault, something which cannot be said of bands within the same musical bracket. In accordance with previous records like `Panopticon' and `In The Absence of Truth', Isis have resulted to notable walkways in order to direct their music down the right paths of life. For example, the inclusion of clean vocals. This area of the construction is my personal favourite. Turner's voice isn't the most astounding, he doesn't like to showboat like the vocalists of genres like power or progression metal - he just does his job accordingly and most importantly, fittingly to the sound of Isis. Songs like `Stone To Wake A Serpent' ambitiously show the intent of Turner on his seductive clean vocals. They're here to enhance the slower paced sections, mesmerise and taunt the audience as they toy with your emotions like a twisting and turning novel.

His prominent harsh screams, which we all know by now since they've been a factor of Isis' material since day one, are once again performed alongside the harsher sections of instrumentation. When the percussion begins to deliver beats that sound as if they're building towards an unstoppable crescendo that is about to run you down like a hit-and-run driver behind a huge truck, and the distortion of the spellbinding guitars sets into its stride, magically possessing your essence and controlling the emotions it feels, you know you're most likely going to see a typical Isis passage of play that incorporates harsh vocals. When the murky soundscapes and instrumentation slow down to that familiar aquatic formation, the emotive and harmonious clean vocals kick in and then you're truly lost to the hypnotising ways of the Isis hybrid. The best representatives of Isis' sound are `Ghost Key' and `Stone To Wake A Serpent', which both typically deliver the powerful performance we've come to expect from this ambiguous American act. The way in which Isis approach song structures can be seen more visibly here and its evident that there are two prominent methods of release. First, the slower construction that sees bass apply a more methodical sense of joy and the spiralling undertow of the guitars is really where that post-rock feel can be found. The spiralling effect gives the audience a chance to relive the days when Isis supplied a totally aquatic feel on `Oceanic', which was aptly named. The variation in instrumentation is important, too. It reminds the listener that, although Isis have sounded fairly similar for a few years now, that they still have enough gas left in the tank to successfully pull off the same sound they themselves derived back on the enthralling `Panopticon'. The best yet.

Best Yet
Please, please, please, listen to this with an open mind. This is easily their best album. It includes lots of organ work, some great inventive guitar and bass and the drum work is amazing. IT IS NOT HEAVY METAL (1 star crazy, pete), IT IS POST ROCK, at its best. Touches of Pink Floyd in places but not the nicey nicey Floyd, the sound is very much Meddle, rough sounding as well as beautiful. All the album should be listened to as one like all great albums but the last two tracks are really something else. Don't expect Metal Music, ISIS HAVE NEVER BEEN METAL, you will be dissappointed and so you should be, open your mind and let ISIS in.

The fantastical world of being an ISIS fan
Ok just spun Wavering Radiant on my turntable and I can already say it's the best album I've ever heard in my life! I just can't believe how these guys do it. I thought Panopticon was immersive and Oceanic had heavy build ups, but this album just stands on an entirely different sonic platform. I can't really explain other than it makes me feel connected to my soul, I know that sounds cheesy but it defiantly pushes that notion.
The other weird thing I might add is that it makes me want to play their older stuff like the Red Sea which is a good thing. I think this album just connects the dots between early ISIS and new ISIS. So to me it's like the conclusive album that sets the foundation for the next step in their progressive evolution.

WOW! ;) Ok now I'm going off to listen to it again...