Isis – In the Absence of Truth 
Isis are one of those bands with which people are either extremely familiar or completely unfamiliar with. Within their little niche genre, they are extremely well known. To fans of bands like Neurosis, Pelican, Mastodon, etc. the name Isis is probably very familiar, as they are considered to be among the founders of the post metal genre. In recent years, they have also begun to traverse the gap between post metal and progressive metal (admittedly a narrow divide at the best of times) In the Absence of Truth is certainly the most obvious example of this sonic shift, as the quieter and more space elements of their sound are played up even as the more aggressive remnants of their hardcore influenced beginnings fade away.
First off, to those who are familiar with much earlier Isis work, this is not Celestial, and it’s not Oceanic. If you felt that Panopticon was an inferior album than I suspect you will find ItAoT to be even worse. Aaron Turner has nearly abandoned the throat-wrenching shouting that was nearly his only vocal performance on Oceanic, and the softer singing (such as it is) has become about half of his sound. While the shouting is still lingering in some form, it primarily surfaces as a sort of dull roar during the particularly guitar heavy sections of the songs. Personally, I find that this combination works absolutely perfectly, and I find the music much more pleasant to listen to, but this is truly a matter of personal taste.
The music itself has also evolved noticeably from their earlier albums. Much of the quieter elements from Oceanic have returned in greater force than Panopticon’s somewhat more harsh sounding pieces. Really the only word that I have for this is that ItAoT seems lush in a manner that Panopticon didn’t. As with earlier releases, ItAoT has very long songs, with all but one clocking in at or above 7 minutes. There is also a pattern of sorts established for the last two thirds of the album’s 9 tracks, as the more aggressive vocal oriented pieces are interspersed with quieter, nearly vocal-less pieces. I find that this actually enhances the effect of the heavier pieces (especially the opening of “Holy Tears”) Naturally the quieter elements are scattered throughout the songs on the album, and I found that this is done to the absolute greatest effect on the album’s best track, “Dulcinea”. Starting with a more raging piece before going into a quiet, building refrain for about four minutes, it builds up to a climax which still, nearly a year after I first heard the album, gives me chills.
Sonically the band have altered since their last album, and the most obvious influence that I can notice is recent tourmates Tool. The bass on this album is especially reminiscent at times of Tool’s Justin Chancellor. Not to imply that Isis have become copiers, they are still very much their own band, but the progression towards progressive metal is just becoming more pronounced.
I definitely must also add a note about the lyrics of this album, as they are yet again a major step forward. Earlier Isis albums, while still very interesting lyrically, tended towards the very dark (note especially Oceanic) Aaron Turner has of late shifted towards much more esoteric and philosophical imagery in his lyrics, and while the band have not released an official set of lyrics (according to Aaron Turner, this is because he became somewhat detached from the lyrics after explaining them so many times after Panopticon’s release) dedicated fans have pieced together most of the songs, and they are truly fantastic. Apparently Turner drew a great deal of inspiration from Vladimir Bartol’s classic historical novel Alamut about 12th century mystic Hassan-i-Sabbah (best known as the founder and leader of the Hashashin sect) as well as Cervantes’ classic Don Quixote, among others. It is definitely worth the time to look up the lyrics to this album.
Overall, In the Absence of Truth is a definite step forward in Isis’ musical catalogue, and showcases their continued evolution as a band. They have come a very long ways from their first demos, but it has been a worthwhile journey. While they may continue to lose their older fans, it is truly these peoples’ loss, as this music is phenomenal. While this album did take a while to grow on me (originally I was far more enamored with Panopticon) it has become one of my all time favourites, and is unquestionably Isis’ best release to date. I can’t wait to hear what they have in store for us next time.
9.5/10
Isis are one of those bands with which people are either extremely familiar or completely unfamiliar with. Within their little niche genre, they are extremely well known. To fans of bands like Neurosis, Pelican, Mastodon, etc. the name Isis is probably very familiar, as they are considered to be among the founders of the post metal genre. In recent years, they have also begun to traverse the gap between post metal and progressive metal (admittedly a narrow divide at the best of times) In the Absence of Truth is certainly the most obvious example of this sonic shift, as the quieter and more space elements of their sound are played up even as the more aggressive remnants of their hardcore influenced beginnings fade away.
First off, to those who are familiar with much earlier Isis work, this is not Celestial, and it’s not Oceanic. If you felt that Panopticon was an inferior album than I suspect you will find ItAoT to be even worse. Aaron Turner has nearly abandoned the throat-wrenching shouting that was nearly his only vocal performance on Oceanic, and the softer singing (such as it is) has become about half of his sound. While the shouting is still lingering in some form, it primarily surfaces as a sort of dull roar during the particularly guitar heavy sections of the songs. Personally, I find that this combination works absolutely perfectly, and I find the music much more pleasant to listen to, but this is truly a matter of personal taste.
The music itself has also evolved noticeably from their earlier albums. Much of the quieter elements from Oceanic have returned in greater force than Panopticon’s somewhat more harsh sounding pieces. Really the only word that I have for this is that ItAoT seems lush in a manner that Panopticon didn’t. As with earlier releases, ItAoT has very long songs, with all but one clocking in at or above 7 minutes. There is also a pattern of sorts established for the last two thirds of the album’s 9 tracks, as the more aggressive vocal oriented pieces are interspersed with quieter, nearly vocal-less pieces. I find that this actually enhances the effect of the heavier pieces (especially the opening of “Holy Tears”) Naturally the quieter elements are scattered throughout the songs on the album, and I found that this is done to the absolute greatest effect on the album’s best track, “Dulcinea”. Starting with a more raging piece before going into a quiet, building refrain for about four minutes, it builds up to a climax which still, nearly a year after I first heard the album, gives me chills.
Sonically the band have altered since their last album, and the most obvious influence that I can notice is recent tourmates Tool. The bass on this album is especially reminiscent at times of Tool’s Justin Chancellor. Not to imply that Isis have become copiers, they are still very much their own band, but the progression towards progressive metal is just becoming more pronounced.
I definitely must also add a note about the lyrics of this album, as they are yet again a major step forward. Earlier Isis albums, while still very interesting lyrically, tended towards the very dark (note especially Oceanic) Aaron Turner has of late shifted towards much more esoteric and philosophical imagery in his lyrics, and while the band have not released an official set of lyrics (according to Aaron Turner, this is because he became somewhat detached from the lyrics after explaining them so many times after Panopticon’s release) dedicated fans have pieced together most of the songs, and they are truly fantastic. Apparently Turner drew a great deal of inspiration from Vladimir Bartol’s classic historical novel Alamut about 12th century mystic Hassan-i-Sabbah (best known as the founder and leader of the Hashashin sect) as well as Cervantes’ classic Don Quixote, among others. It is definitely worth the time to look up the lyrics to this album.
Overall, In the Absence of Truth is a definite step forward in Isis’ musical catalogue, and showcases their continued evolution as a band. They have come a very long ways from their first demos, but it has been a worthwhile journey. While they may continue to lose their older fans, it is truly these peoples’ loss, as this music is phenomenal. While this album did take a while to grow on me (originally I was far more enamored with Panopticon) it has become one of my all time favourites, and is unquestionably Isis’ best release to date. I can’t wait to hear what they have in store for us next time.
9.5/10
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