Ever since heavy metal’s inception at the hands of four young men from Birmingham, that is to say Black Sabbath, the visionaries have pushed the genre’s boundaries. Isis have cemented their place among such visionary artists with the release of their latest album, In the Absence of Truth.
With each successive album, Isis have distanced themselves from their beginnings as a sludge- and doom-metal band. Their latest release features a sound best described as post-metal. They still create a wall of heaviness without conforming to the usual chorus-verse-bridge structure of most rock music. The drums, guitars and vocals have all changed significantly to aid in this transformation.
The first song, “Wrists of Kings,” begins with tribal drumming, a technique that Aaron Harris implements throughout Truth. This type of beat complements the progressive layering of instruments in many of the album’s tracks. The distorted guitars do not have the same punch as in previous albums. Instead, Isis uses clean guitars liberally, which sound more active and lively than ever.
The vocals best exemplify the transformation Isis have undergone on Truth. Aaron Turner sings clearly and cleanly much more on this album, creating a calming effect and adding to the album’s relaxed atmosphere. He does not, however, abandon the traditional metal growl: “1,000 Shards” ends with dual layers of screaming, an engaging vocal effect.
As shown by their growing popularity outside the metal community, Isis create music that goes far beyond their niche genre. Speculating on how they will evolve in their next album is useless; they have surprised their fans with each release. However, Truth shows that we can rely on one thing: they will deliver quality.
