Punknews.org LogoPunknews.org

Sign In | create an account

 

Isis / These Arms Are Snakes

live in Portland (2006)
Ipecac Recordings

Reviewer Rating:


Contributed by: istapledmyfoot
(
others by this writer | submit your own
)


Published on April 7th 2006


Isis. Stoner metal? Jam metal? Thinking man’s jam stoner metal? Ambient jam metal? I’m not sure. What I am sure of, however, is that they blew my fucking mind a few days ago.

First off, there were other bands on this tour, but I only caught a few songs from These Arms Are Snakes. I’ve heard a lot of good things about these guys, and the music is certainly not as offensive as their name, but they didn’t leave much of an effect on me. Kind of spastic mid-tempo rock that hinges on being technically interesting but really isn’t. I don’t know, maybe it comes off better on record.

Now, for perspective’s sake, I knew very little about the adored Isis upon going into the show. I'd owned their latest full-length Panopticon for a while now, had heeded my friend’s advice and listened to it a few times when I was all baked, and that had been about the end of it until now.

The first thing I noticed about them was how focused and purposeful their playing was. There were no histrionics or mic swinging (I'm looking at you, These Arms Are Snakes), as they didn’t need to convince anyone of anything, but their intensity of expression and absolute cohesion of sound completely enveloped the room. Their onstage interaction with each other comprised mainly of looks and nods in between the occasional head-bang, but like everything else about the performance, the subtlety belied a wealth of experience and ability. Throughout their stay on that dimly lit stage, they were the utter image of a unified group of musicians.

The band spent most of their time developing simple fragments of melody against slow-moving progressions with minimal showmanship. Everything was presented at varying degrees of not quite as fast as a walking tempo, with the drummer always playing just behind the beat. And here lies the beauty of Isis, as this simplicity brought out every single nuance to the point where every foreign chord, fill, over the bar pattern or odd time signature created waves in the crowd.

The vocals, courtesy of Aaron Turner, have to be noted, as he has one of the more powerful voices I’ve heard in a long time. Though comparatively low in the mix (exactly as it is on record), he has a low guttural growl that is heart-rending, alternating with great sung vocals that retain that grit and power. As I mentioned, the vocals are kept lower in the mix than most bands, which makes the voice less ‘the human element’ and more just another piece in their obsessively constructed wall of sound.

As far as a set list, like I said, I was a casual fan before this concert so I didn’t catch many of the titles. They definitely played the first few tracks off of Panopticon: “So Did We,” “Backlit” and “In Fiction,” and a friend of mine who knows their back catalog better said the rest of their set came largely from that album as well.

Also of note, the Loveland sounded fucking incredible. Shows there usually sound fine (especially compared to the Hawthorne) but for whatever reason every instrument sounded huge and clear as day.

Anyway, so while still a difficult band to describe to your buddies (“It’s metal, and they like, scream and stuff, but it’s not...it’s really soothing somehow…”), Isis are doing something very special. There is a tremendous patience in Isis’s music and hence in their concert experience that is unlike much else I’ve heard. At times meditative and ambient while conversely often poignant and cathartic, there is a breadth of emotion in Isis that is unmatched by many of their peers. Best show I’ve seen in a long time.



People who liked this also liked:
Pig Destroyer - TerrifyerDillinger Escape Plan - Calculating InfinityHella - Hold Your Horse IsLightning Bolt - Hypermagic MountainBad Brains - Bad BrainsPaint It Black - ParadiseCephalic Carnage - Lucid Interval

Please login or register to post comments.
What are the benefits of having a Punknews.org account?
  • Share your opinion by posting comments on the stories that interest you
  • Rate music and bands and help shape the weekly top ten
  • Let Punknews.org use your ratings to help you find bands and albums you might like
  • Customize features on the site to get the news the way you want.
    Anonymous (April 12, 2006)

    You're in an idiot, TAAS has to be the most entertaining live band currently.

    Anonymous (April 9, 2006)

    These Arms Are Snakes are about as good as Kenny G. I nearly fell asleep while watching them at the Seattle show.

    Isis destroyed everything.

    istapledmyfoot (April 8, 2006)

    to the guy about the bukowski reference: i know! i hold no ill will towards this band, really.

    Anonymous (April 7, 2006)

    TAAS are pretty damn good. Isis bores me, though.

    -Chinatown

    ElVaquero (April 7, 2006)

    isis rules, i'm going tonight. fucking brilliant review though, really liked it.

    Anonymous (April 7, 2006)

    shit, below, that is supposed to say

    "lets make a name that is absolutely meaningless but we think sounds cool/deep"

    Anonymous (April 7, 2006)

    istapledmyfoot,

    just some info, i think you are really wrong about your preconceived notions about this band's name, i first came across the analogy in bukowski (which is really good reading and not in a faux-intelligent way at all) in which "his arms were snakes" or something similar was used to describe a guy in a fight hows arms were lithe and fluid. its not an emo "lets make a name that is absolutely meaningless but really means nothing" deal.

    i dont know, maybe thats just me, but i have always liked the name because to me thats what it refers to at least

    colin (April 7, 2006)

    i've got some photos of the show up here http://www.distortedperspective.com/work/photo/bands/isis /060330_01.php

    pwfanatic (April 7, 2006)

    TAAS sets were virtually all new material, i think in seattle they only played 2 songs off of Oxyneers and that was it for recorded material. still, they killed like they always do. one of the best live bands around.

    and watching ISIS was once again one of the more epic things i have seen in my life.

    istapledmyfoot (April 7, 2006)

    To clear things up, the name is offensive in the sense that "these arms are snakes" always pissed me off for its emoish faux-intelligent sounding name, which is why I was surprised that they weren't total bullshit. Oh, and this review is fucking gold.

    Anonymous (April 7, 2006)

    i saw them last week. they played the first four songs off panopticon, the begining and the end, and 3 new songs, all of which were excellent.

    Anonymous (April 7, 2006)

    score is for the reviewer accurately realizing how great a band Isis is.

    colin (April 7, 2006)

    i was there for this, it was a pretty good show.

    Anonymous (April 7, 2006)

    these arms are snakes is an offensive name?

    Clearly he's baked again

    Anonymous (April 7, 2006)

    these arms are snakes is an offensive name?

    Features

    Exclusive Streams

    Newest Reviews

    Punknews.org Team

    Managing Editor

    Adam White

    News Editors

    Kira Wisniewski
    Brittany Strummer
    Andrew Waterfield
    Katy Hardy
    Matthew Baldwin
    Armando Olivas
    John Flynn

    Video Editor

    Chris Moran

    Social Media Editor

    Justin August

    Copy Editor

    Amelia Cline

    Reviews Editor

    Joe Pelone

    Interviews Editor

    Richard Verducci

    Publisher

    Aubin Paul

    ISSN 1710-5366



    © Copyright 1999-2012 Punknews.org



    Other Places to Go

    Punknews.org Flickr Pool