Old Man Gloom - Seminar III

Old Man Gloom - Seminar III
Subtitled Zozobra, this is the band Old Man Gloom's third album, and while it is theoretically the successor to previous album Seminar II in EP form, it is in truth both a sequel, a continuance, and a summary of its predecessor. Let me explain. First, it is obviously a separate release to Seminar II, and it was released slightly after that album. Second, it is meant to be listened to back-to-back with its predecessor, as the themes on this EP continue on from those of the first album. Finally (did I forget to mention?) the EP is one single track, 27 minutes long, which encapsulates all of the many turnings of style and concept in the previous album's 17.
The key with this album is to not allow the one song's length to daunt you. It just means this isn't an album you can pop in and skip around the tracks on, changing what you're listening to every couple of minutes. If you want to properly appreciate it you have to sit down for the haul, as the song's payoffs only really have the intended effect if what comes before is heard as well.
Stylistically the band aren't all that far removed from sister-project Isis, as one of the core members of OMG is Isis vocalist/guitarist/artist/label owner Aaron Turner. OMG explore many of the same ambient passages alternated with crushing guitar and, but on their other albums these excursions are always short, compared to Isis (usually clocking in at about 4 minutes at most) and never really exploring their sonic art to its full extent. This is why Seminar III is such a refreshing listen, coming from other Old Man Gloom albums; it's wonderful to hear them really stretch their muscles. Now, don't get the impression that OMG are Isis clones, while they do bear some general similarities, and whatever genre you want to stick Isis in these guys definitely also fall into it, but they don't have the repetitive, droning ambience of Isis, and as I say the songs tend to short and often abrasive. Of course, now I do need to come to the reason why I say this album is sort of like a shorter summary of its predecessor, you see despite being one song, and despite feeling very natural in its sound, it is in many ways a series of tracks stitched together. Of course, Seminar II is in many ways one long song cut into many individual tracks, so this doesn't pose any real problems.
The musicianship itself is very good, although there isn't much in the way of the band showing off their prowess. It's more in the way that all contributors come together to create this whole; as the song moves through its various phases it feels like the badn are building to a natural conclusion, which is hit in some ways at the 21 minute mark. I should point out that the band's lyrics usually revolve around our simian brothers (the band's full name is the Old Man Gloom Alien Simian Defence League) and space, as the ambient passage prior to this climax contains samples of what I assume to be scientists discussing monkeys, which fades slightly into a truly awesome guitar riff, which curls and explores its way for about 4 minutes before fading into a quiet denouement.
The album is not an easy listen, like most of the bands stylistically related to it, OMG requires a little getting used to, and does require some attention. But once you get past the length of the song and the oddities and start to really appreciate the music, the album will greatly reward. And, of course, it is highly recommended to fans of post metal, just make sure to listen to it back-to-back with Seminar II.
[as a side note, the band was founded in Santa Fe, where there has been a yearly festival since the early 1700s in which a figure known as Zozobra, or Old Man Gloom, is burned in effigy to represent the release of the cares and worries of the past year.]

8/10

Isis - In the Absence of Truth

First off, apologies to anyone who has been reading this consistently for the long break between reviews, the past couple weeks have been fairly hectic between school, work, and whatever little social life I am able to fit between them. That said, after the end of this crazy week I have a little down time, so I will try to get a couple extra reviews written and stashed away for future postings.

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