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Isis: Oceanic
13/02/08 || The Duff
In my mind, and in the minds of many other Isis fans, two of the band’s albums can be perceived to have attained classic-worthy status. These include the mesmerizing “Panopticon”, and the less all-enveloping, more Neurosis-inspired “Oceanic”. Whichever one of the two an Isis fan prefers is dependent on which style of post-rock/doom/noisecore whatever the fuck else sub-genre you identify most with, as this album sure is less soundscape-driven than its immediate successor, pertaining more to the sludgy, riff-mediated style of music, something that is made evident by the more accommodating to its sound, arid production. “Panopticon” is still the finest thing I’ve heard on this planet, but “Oceanic” is an album that comes in bunched up alongside all the many “close seconds” that would otherwise be the cream of the crop, the best of the best, the Jean Claude Van Damme in “Hard Target” had I not discovered an album unsurpassable in every regard.
I’m not going to dwell too much on how this album differs from “Celestial”, because I haven’t heard the band’s debut – tough shit, I’m a terrible reviewer with scant knowledge of the metal underground; only the albums that get the recognition from other accomplished websites and enough people talking about them on the GD forums are to make it through to my stereo – I want something I can stencil on my lunch-box, not an obscure band no one’s going to stop me in the street over so as to say that my tee with its latest emblazoned is a-bitchin’. So now that we’ve cleared up as to why I listen to music, I shall begin to compare this to the majestic “Panopticon” – “Oceanic” still has those dreamy segments in droves, but because of the production being quite dry, they aren’t nearly as lush. Also, one gets the impression that such sections are simply very peaceful interludes for the heavier sections, and not so much as leading towards the arching build-up to a gargantuan, crushing wall of guitars that emulate the beating waves upon a cliff-face, or more accurately, me shooting my load all over the opposing wall as a result of aural excellence.
In terms of riffing, things on “Oceanic” do get pretty heavy, very much in the Neurosis vein. There are slow-paced, chug-riffs (these never break beyond 120-140 bpm, so you’re quite safe), slow-paced, sludgy riffs, and slow-paced complements to the dreamier material (Jeff Caxide is still taking the lead many a time with his entrancing bass-lines). So, yes, the music on “Oceanic” is drawn out and very relaxing (even during its more brash moments) – the harshest element to the record is without a doubt Aaron Turner’s vocals, which sound more tortured and strained than on any subsequent outing; can’t say that it offsets the hypnotic nature of the music, but then if it did, it would defeat the purpose of an Isis record – this is music to chill out to, even if the stoner/sludge influence has its roots in metal; the band’s earlier, brasher influences have evolved and been melded into something a lot more soothing, and by this point in Isis’ career close to entirely original.
One thing that sets this album apart from its two successors is that it has the vocal contributions of Maria Christopher, who raises this album’s worth from great to sublime; her performance on “Weight”, I think, makes the track the ultimate highlight to Isis’ career, despite how much I worship the band’s later effort, “Panopticon”. Her other album involvements include the opener and “Carry”, both of which are equally boosted by her adding of little flurries of vocal magic, giving a force to each track that would be transparent were the music to consist of the guitars, bass and drums alone (as well as the occasional touch of synth).
After the breathtaking, somewhat draining, monolith that is “Weight”, the album is wound down to a close with two tracks that seem to stand very well by their respective selves – the 4:24 minute mark of “From Sinking” is possibly the most obviously depressing piece of music I’ve heard the band compose, yet as it progresses it is brilliantly turned around to something that is quite uplifting, if not all completely settling, before morphing once more into something very dark – this is Isis at their creative peak, challenging the listener with the many twists and turns taken by the music, and just one of the many reasons for which this album can be seen as superior to the band’s 2004 effort (an album, I might add, thought by many as entirely faultless). The closer is just a riff-mania of a track, very heavy in a post-rock sort of way that terminates in a manner suggestive of things to come on later efforts – the crescendo, the come-down bordering on euphoria, the fountains of cum… if you know this band at all, you’ll know that they finish in style, in a way where you’ll think “Fuck – I gotta hear that again!”. Pure and simple, this album is fantastic, and a classic for the sub-genre.
9 Isis lunchboxes out of 10.
- Information
- Released: 2002
- Label: Ipecac
- Website: www.isistheband.com. isistheband.com
- Band
- Aaron Turner: vocals, guitars
- Mike Gallagher: guitars
- Cliff Meyer: samples, vocals
- Jeff Caxide: bass
- Aaron Harris: drums
- Tracklist
- 01. The beginning and the end
- 02. The other
- 03. False light
- 04. Carry
- 05. –
- 06. Maritime
- 07. Weight
- 08. From sinking
- 09. Hym
