Oceanic (2002)
9
The Beginning and the End / The Other / False Light / Carry / -
/ Maritime / Weight / From Sinking / Hym
Revolver
Magazine recently published a list of what in their opinion were/are the
50 heaviest bands that ever walked and played on the surface of the earth.
Despite some head-scratching entries (Soundgarden made #2*, Led Zeppelin #3
and Nirvana #19), several of 'em were quite understandable (Slayer #5, Kyuss
#6 and Black Sabbath #1, although I think they mainly compared them to the
competition during their peak-years), while bands like Neurosis (#4), The
Melvins (#8) and Mastodon (#15) made a lot of sense, and perhaps even
deserved a higher spot. Isis was on #12 and Isis is a volume dealer.
Even though a friend of mine usually calls 'em a PG-version of Neurosis (who
might really be one of the most confrontational bands out there when they're
pissed-off), Isis is plenty heavy, but not necessarily in the fast/aggressive-tradition.
They're no Slayer, Napalm Death or Mastodon, even though they - like that
last band - are indebted to an early tradition of doom metal. But there's
more: like with Neurosis, there's also some apocalyptic post-hardcore in their
sound, a cerebral successor of the angular metal/hardcore-fusion that became
more prominent a decade ago or so. None of their songs are fast, but they
make up for that with occasionally devastatingly heavy riffs that are the
results of the meticulous constructions their songs are. Just like their cover
art almost seems like a parody of totalitarian uniformity, so their music
is also stubbornly precise, tight and conceived. This is not translated in
an endless series of stop & start-bursts (they're no Dillinger Escape
Plan), but in carefully constructed epics that deliver the majestic grandeur
that the album covers will make you expect. Their style is often called "a
heavy take on post-rock," and even though nitpickers who are convinced they
know what real post-rock is (and what not) will tell you that's not
true, it definitely makes sense if you're only randomly acquainted with the
genre. Like most post-rock out there, Isis' music is rather simple, hypnotic,
stretched out, refusing to be pinpointed and discussed in terms of verse/chorus/verse,
etc. In this regard, Isis is like the extreme opposite of power-pop. The songs
are long, initially labyrinthine, intellectual, impossible to sing a long
to and often have a vague philosophical/political theme. Even though that
last aspect would reach a more explicit level on their 2004 album Panopticon,
it's tempting to try and analyse their opaque lyrics (which you need a booklet
for - as Aaron Turner's growls are, well, growls) as metaphysical treatises
on the position of man in his surroundings, etc. It's the music that most
people will be interested, though, and Oceanic delivers some stunning
moments. While the volcanic noise eruptions during "The Other" and the chugging
grind of "False Light" might seem like oppressively hostile music that's trying
to alienate the listener as much as possible from the music, the dynamics
of the music itself is exactly what makes it so special. You could call Oceanic
an ambient album, one that sooths and caresses, that takes you from one mood
to the next while keeping up the trance, with the sole difference that the
volume and climaxes can be excruciatingly brutal and hard to stomach. "Weight,"
for instance, is basically a curve that keeps going upwards for ten minutes,
as layers are added and replaced and guest vocals by Maria Christopher create
an otherworldly vibe. A logical conclusion of this approach (something they
have in common with post-rock and ambient) is that they often rely on atmosphere
more than anything else, yet there are a few moments when the droning songs
are not only impressive as structures in themselves, but also as exercises
in passion and beauty. "The Beginning and the End," for instance, is soaked
with melancholia that's constantly hinted at, and when the tension is released,
when the song almost literally explodes and Turner screams his lungs out,
it's almost unthinkable to not be moved by the sheer emotion. Likewise, the
calmer "Carry" reaches a stellar, cathartic height (after building up a spacey
vibe for four minutes) that's one of the most touching things I have heard
on any album that was released the past few years. Because of the initially
impenetrable songs and their lengths (only two songs are shorter than 6:30),
Oceanic can be a tough nut to crack, but this also implies the result
is be very rewarding and - along with Mastodon's Leviathan and High
on Fire's Blessed Black Wings - one of the essential, truly heavy
albums of the decade so far.
* 18 Spots higher than Napalm Death, 44 higher than Electric Wizard. My question: have you ever heard, say, Order of the Leech or Dopethrone?
Read album reviews of similar or related artists: Mastodon