End of ISIS

“Eyes are shut, feet are bare / For this journey I'm unprepared” Isis, 20 Minutes / 40 Years

At the end of their tour in 2010, Isis announced that they were calling it quits. The band had accomplished what they set out to do. I have mixed feelings. Isis is the kind of band that requires a certain amount of dedication and effort to get to know. I’ve been a fan for only a short amount of time and so I feel in some ways that the relationship has ended before I was ready. But that would be selfish. Plus their music persists and let’s be honest; I’ll probably need a lifetime to appreciate all that Isis has to offer.

Isis was heavily influenced by bands like Neurosis and Tool; a kind of progressive, yet sludgy metal. Their music ticks along with incredible precision and depth one minute and the next body-slams the listener with powerful, bludgeoning riffs. The intricate parts feel as though they’re played through muddy pools, like you’re pushing against the current of a rain-swollen river.

Ambient waves lull you into dreamy ecstasy before the tidal wave of sound drags you through violent nightmares. The songs are long. Most span at least 7 minutes. Unrelenting. You can’t turn away; you can’t surface, not even to breathe. The driving rhythms draw you closer and closer to the edge. And then Aaron Turner’s voice creeps in, low and casual, like a demon beckoning from a place yet unseen. Your only guide through these murky depths. Consistently through their albums you feel his voice more than you actually hear it. Whether he’s giving life to a rough melody or growling ferociously, the vocals are set back in the mix. It feels more like Isis use the vocal as another instrument; wandering back and forth between raw and refined.

Their career stretches back 13 years. I only own 3 albums, including their last release Wavering Radiant. With each album, Isis embarks on their own journey and it’s up to you to keep pace. This is the music played at the edge of the universe. This is the music played at the end of time. When the apocalypse comes, Isis will provide the soundtrack. There is no more beautiful way to go. This is rock, this is life, what are you listening to?

ISIS - 20 Minutes / 40 Years, from the album Wavering Radiant (2009).