Isis

Well, it’s over.

It’s only May, and the album of the year has already been released. Post-metal, sludge, whatever genre name you feel the need to unfairly slap Isis with, they have proven once again they are the undisputed leaders of their field. Wavering Radiant is the quintet's fifth studio album, and it's up there with some of the best material they’ve ever written. The album is so grand in scale that it makes Isis’ magnum-opus, Oceanic, seem bare-as-bones in comparison. And with a little help from Tool guitarist Adam Jones adding subtle touches throughout, Wavering is nothing short of perfect.

Isis has always been known for their large scale, atmospheric epics. Every song slowly and patiently building upon itself until it bursts into massive walls of crushing riffs and huge crashing drums. This time around, the band has literally perfected their art. This specific genre of music, which has been fathered primarily by bands like Isis and Neurosis, has the tendency to become repetitive as artists sometimes stretch songs to near-ten minute lengths when they probably could have been finished by the six-minute mark. Isis gets away from this downfall by crafting amazing songs that are constantly evolving as opposed to earlier releases where they had fallen into patterns of meandering repetition. This time around they’ll compose brilliant sections and move right onto developing another section just before redundancy sets in.

The dynamic of Wavering Radiant is something that commands attention. Vocalist Aaron Turner also shines on this album as he showcases his range whether it be his trademark sandpaper bark, or a newer more haunting wail softly sung over the lighter pieces. “Ghost Key,” the album's second song is just over eight minutes of sheer perfection, and really is the best representation of the album as a whole. Intricate, trickling guitar riffs intertwined with beautiful key arraignments that create a truly memorable experience. The album's closer, “Threshold of Transformation” is also another of the stellar high points with it’s last four minutes taking the listener on an audible journey through soaring riffs and exploding drums.

The real treat is that Wavering Radiant always leaves the listener with the feeling that something is coming, that the song is always headed in a new compelling direction. This album is pretty much flawless, every song sounds so natural and fluid, they manage to be beautiful and brooding all at once. You can get lost in this album, whether you find yourself mesmerized by it’s rich textures or lost in it’s ambient melodies. There's no denying that Isis’ latest is some of the most interesting and enjoyable music in recent memory.

—Tony Caso
05.14.09

"Hall of the Dead" opens Isis' fifth album, Wavering Radiant, with a slow, ominous sound as if signaling the start of a science fiction/horror movie, before the band kicks in forcefully. "Threshold of Transformation" concludes the disc with the same strategy in reverse, as the band's stately hard rock suddenly gives way to a quieter, moody theme after more than nine minutes. And right in the middle of the album comes the becalmed under-two-minute title track, prefaced by more ambient music at the end of the first ten minutes of "Hand of the Host." Thus there is a structure to Wavering Radiant, which is hardly a typical heavy metal album, even if it has many of the trappings of one. The raging guitars of Aaron Turner and Michael Gallagher are certainly typical of the style, as is the locked-in rhythm section of bassist Jeff Caxide and drummer Aaron Harris, while Turner alternates between normal singing and the sort of heavy metal growl that sounds like a wounded bear. (The vocals are mixed a notch or two below what would be required for there to be a chance of comprehending their meaning, another familiar metal procedure.) But a big difference is provided by keyboardist Clifford Meyer, who provides texture, filling up the overall sound and also adding ethereal touches that sometimes make Isis reminiscent of Pink Floyd, especially as the lengthy tracks stretch on into their seventh and eighth minutes. Wavering Radiant works as a single piece of music rather than a series of songs, and it is cohesively played by an ensemble that is more interested in the dark majesty of metal than its potential for expressing anger. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide