Am I a bad person if I hate Isis?

I mean, I should like it, since it's enlightened and avantgardey and stuff like that, not like the primal regressive music I normally listen to! But...

Quote :

The hardest part of being a music fan is keeping a straight face. Someone will hand you music that is misbegotten, tell you it's good and that many people really dig it. Your job is then to keep from laughing or crying until they're out of the room. Isis "Wavering Radiant" falls into the category of "I hope it's satire."

Read on for full review:
Isis - Wavering Radiant (2009)

Yeah, it's that bad, at least to these ears. Anyone else?

I don't like them either, there are other bands out there who are doing FAR superior music in the "improv-metal" vein.

Pelican is a current favorite, as is Yob.

No, it automatically makes you a really wonderful person.

no, if so, I'm in the same boat.

Yea ISIS was pretty cheesy but she did not have a bad set of legs on her.

I haven't heard the new one yet but I like Isis. I've got Panopticon and In The Absence Of Truth and they've both gotten plenty of spins from me. Nowadays they're usually mentioned in the same breath as Neurosis as sort of the fathers of much of the whole post-metal/post-rock genre.

If anyone's interested in more of this type of stuff there are several other bands I'd recommend such as; Russian Circles, Red Sparrows, Mouth Of The Architect, as well as the above mentioned Pelican. There seems to be a new one of these bands I hear about every month or so as this stuff seems to still be somewhat popular.

manny wrote:

Yea ISIS was pretty cheesy but she did not have a bad set of legs on her.

I thought I was the only one who remembered that show. Dammit Manny, get out of my head!!

Who?

Yes. You are a horrid, horrible human. Although, I do not know whom Isis Is Is.

Hey, de - I got your Yob hangin' [The Illusion of Motion]. I can throw it in with the Sab Trib, if you don't already have it.

Fat Freddy wrote:

manny wrote:

Yea ISIS was pretty cheesy but she did not have a bad set of legs on her.

I thought I was the only one who remembered that show. Dammit Manny, get out of my head!!

I remember the show. Don't know the band.

ultmetal wrote:

Who?

http://www.myspace.com/isis

Svengo wrote:

Nowadays they're usually mentioned in the same breath as Neurosis as sort of the fathers of much of the whole post-metal/post-rock genre.

For me, the term post-metal/post-rock makes me want to stick my head in an oven. And I don't like Isis very much either

sheets wrote:

Svengo wrote:

Nowadays they're usually mentioned in the same breath as Neurosis as sort of the fathers of much of the whole post-metal/post-rock genre.

For me, the term post-metal/post-rock makes me want to stick my head in an oven. And I don't like Isis very much either

Eh, it's just a genre label like any other and I find that many bands with that label don't sound at all like Isis. I also think that, at least in my experience, some of what is labeled as post-rock seems to attract some of the "indie" crowd who can come off as music snobs sometimes.

My buddy a few years ago kept on telling me how great this band was. He eventually played it at home, and I have to say it was too much to digest in one sitting. I'm sure they're great musicians, but I never bothered to check them out after that. I don't know, maybe I'll like them.

I could totally see if Isis isn't your thing. I have three of their albums, Oceanic, Panopticon, and In the Absence of Truth (I've only heard the latest one a few occasions) but they only get spins when I'm in a certain mood or frame of mind. Some days I'll pull out an album of theirs and not quite get through a song before I reach for the stop button because I know it just isn't the right time. Other days I'll be able to sit down and listen to all three albums in a row and be completely submerged in the music and am blown away when it ends. This stuff can seem very tedious and almost annoying if you aren't prepared to hear it and other times it can be consuming and downright beautiful.

I'm listening to Wavering Radiant right now, it's not quite as terrible as that review, but the album does betray a lack of focus in what the band is trying to accomplish.

The best parts of the album are the instrumental segments, the band really shines when they allow themselves to stretch out and some of it is quite impressive. But a song like Ghost Key is ruined when the groove is destroyed once the death metal vocals come in....the song doesn't NEED vocals, it feels tacked on. The band is actually best at creating kinda space-rock grooves and improvising of that structure...the "metal" segments sound contrived.

When they try to write actual songs is where the problem lies, they're not especially memorable or well written. It sounds like they listened to some Opeth and a little bit of Mastodon and tried to combine those vocal styles. But it doesn't work with no songs.

Anyway, it basically just comes off as unfocused...which is a common occurrence these days.

sheets wrote:

For me, the term post-metal/post-rock makes me want to stick my head in an oven.

I'm just about there too. "Post-metal" seems to mean indie rock with metal riffs. Not very progressive, or post-anything; it's regression.

And metalcore means prog punk with metal riffs. Zzzzz....

SLAYER!