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Isis

In the Absence of Truth (2006)
Ipecac Recordings

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Contributed by: Ben_Conoley
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Published on January 16th 2007

There’s no doubt in my mind that if and when I write a year-end list next year I will have to include an “Albums that came out in 2006 but I didn’t hear until 2007” list, just for Isis’ latest masterpiece, In the Absence of Truth.

When Isis released Oceanic in 2002 they were praised for nearly perfecting the process of creating monstrous post-hardcore/metal that incorporates just as much Sigur Rós and Mogwai as it does anything that might usually find itself being reviewed on this site.

Isis continued to challenge listeners’ minds as much as their head-banging skills on 2004’s Panopticon, and album that saw the band pushing their limits even further, through vocalist Aaron Turner who explores his vocal range further than he ever did on previous work. While his growling “metal voice” still makes appearances, it largely seems to serve as a tool for emotion and juxtaposition than anything else, but I am certainly not about to tell anyone what Isis “means” by anything. This time around Turner’s vocals lean heavier on melody and clarity than they have before. Fans of the band’s much earlier work might not love it, but those who would have been turned off by such changes likely jumped ship a long time ago.

In the Absence of Truth’s instrumentation is nothing short of stunning. In the past, Isis used long, slow build-ups before exploding into heavier territory. That still happens here from time to time, though not as frequently as one might hope/expect, although when it does occur it is nothing short of perfect, such as on "Dulcinia." The heavy moments of the album are still heavy as hell, but not as hard or fast. Isis’ drums continue to pound the listener with a rhythmic and often tribal arrangement.

Many moments on In the Absence of Truth slow to a crawl, but it’s the mid-tempo moments that take up most of the record that are the album’s strongest. Through much of the album it seems as though the band is going to explode at any moments, but that rarely happens. If anything, things slow down more often than not. One might think that constantly waiting for a moment that doesn’t seem to be coming would be frustrating. However, that simply isn’t the case. Every note on the album is masterfully calculated and executed. It’s an album that takes some time to properly sink in to allow the listener to explore the many hidden complexities that make up the album. It might seem like a daunting task, but go ahead, it’s worth your while.

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abbas_muhammad (June 6, 2010)

Garden Of Light completes this record. One of my favorites.

TommyPickles (March 31, 2008)

I have to say that I really love this band they're actually one of my all time favorites, definitely in the top 5, and this album, to me is their best.

Anonymous (January 22, 2007)

Customers who purchased this album also bought: Tool

SilentStorms (January 19, 2007)

"you are correct, there's nothing on here which sounds like Joe Strummer with down's syndrome."

Ahahahaha blamazing!

TrailorParkThrash (January 18, 2007)

there's alot of hype around this band

Anonymous (January 18, 2007)

You should check out IRA - www.iraism.com

I guess this recently came out in the US on Gokart too.

Anonymous (January 17, 2007)

you are correct, there's nothing on here which sounds like Joe Strummer with down's syndrome.

ilikepunkrock (January 17, 2007)

I'm guessing this CD is not like Rancid's "And Out Come The Wolves"

Anonymous (January 17, 2007)

the bass on this record really sounds like 'disintegration'-era cure. i'd argue this is probably isis' best to date, actually.

danperrone (January 17, 2007)

this is a bad cd

DenBez (January 17, 2007)

I'm glad I'm not the only person who wasn't dissapointed with this.

Anonymous (January 16, 2007)

After Panopticon, I thought this band could do no wrong. They had released three amazing albums in a row. But this album definitely brought the band down a notch. I agree with the comment below. It's all the slow parts of Panopticon. This album just doesn't have the dynamic, epic feel as the last two. It's still better than 90% of the music out there though.

And the band still crushes live.

Anonymous (January 16, 2007)

Great album cover.

logan (January 16, 2007)

This album was a huge dissapointment. It's practically all the shitty slow parts from Panopticon.. where's the distortion?? Oceanic is still #1 in my heart.

Anonymous (January 16, 2007)

Isis is so overrated it's pathetic, a soundtrack to snobbery if there ever was one.

tenwestchaser (January 16, 2007)

"yes, best buy does indeed have it on sale for like $7. a good buy I guess, I'm going to check it out since it's cheap."

Me too. I heard good things about the band so I bought Panopticon last year and really didn't like it. I also heard they came from the same scene/ethos/time/etc. as other bands that I love like Converge and Cave In so I downloaded Mosquito Control and, again, didn't like it. Wasn't near as heavy or different than their other material as others had claimed. But I keep reading how this one is so much different and how amazing it is. I like what I'm hearing from their song on myspace (from the new album) so I will deffinetly try this out for $7.

justahippie (January 16, 2007)

yes, best buy does indeed have it on sale for like $7. a good buy I guess, I'm going to check it out since it's cheap.

bryne (January 16, 2007)

For those interested I believe Best Buy is selling this for 6.99 this week.

pwfanatic37 (January 16, 2007)

music nerds across the globe put ISIS under a very scrutinizing microscope when it comes to its music, and with this album, i think they blew away everyone's expectations. whether or not you think oceanic or panopticon is the strongest album, this one finds its way up there. best album of 2006.

Anonymous (January 16, 2007)

all aboard the late train.

Anonymous (January 16, 2007)

really strong record. love it when i listen to it yet i don't get the urge to very often. i think because it's essentially panopticon part II. with prior albums, there was a large progression with each album, but this just seems to be a refining of what they did on the last record. and that's fine, they do an amazing job, but for that reason it doesn't quite floor me the way panopticon and oceanic did when they came out. still really good though.

bonus points for the don quixote reference.

Ollywood (January 16, 2007)

first