Wednesday 27 May 2009

Isis - Wavering Radiant


Isis are a band I have been listening to for a good few years now, in fact they are probably one of my favourite bands. Their genre is hard to pinpoint as every album they release changes dramatically, you can certainly tell it's an Isis album but when you delve into any of their back catalogue there are so many subtle differences. I was really disappointed with their last effort, 'In The Absence of Truth.' I felt the vocals were appalling and the production was poor and I never really warmed to it, so I was apprehensive to say the least when I received 'Wavering Radiant.' Thankfully Wavering Radiant has re-kindled my love for Isis, with producer Joe Barresi donning the helm, the creases from the last album have been ironed out, the tension throughout the album builds, with every song more with the use of intricate melodies adding refreshing new textures to their sound, there is also the addition of Bryant Clifford Meyer making more use of keyboards adding a subtle depth to the sound that adds so much of a difference, '20 Minutes / 40 Years' is already one of my favourite Isis songs, starting off with teeth shattering screams and the most groovy, murky riff blending into an awesome solo. With all of this 'Wavering Radiant is still as brutal and sludgy as any Isis album to date and as ever will certainly not be all taken in with the first listen.

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