Celestial

Isis, Isis (Rock)

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 27, 2001)
• Original Release Date: April 3, 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Escape Artist
• ASIN: B00005UF5A
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #135,065 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great, but don't start with this one..., September 25, 2006

By	The Dilettante "Dilly!" - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

I thought I didn't like the songs on this record, until I heard them live. The truth is that this is classic material, but it suffers from flat production. Riffs that could be majestic come across tinny and hollow. If you are new to this band, start with Oceanic and work forward, then backtrack and listen to this record in context. If you can still hang, then (and only then) get the earlier stuff. Red Sea and Mosquito Control are both really, REALLY alienating. I love them each in their own way, but late-90's Isis sounds like a totally different band, much less musical and much more violent. Before Celestial, Isis could have been any one of two dozen crust/grind/powerviolence outfits. This is the record that broke the mold, and it's the first record that sounds like Isis as it exists today. With Isis's newfound success, I suspect this record will be remastered to fit better with the rest of the later Isis oeuvre. I look forward to it - these are great songs; these recordings just don't have the power they deserve.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intelligently Heavy, August 2, 2004

By	C. Cerrato (Ft. Lauderdale, FL) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Isis create heavy, doom-laden sonic landscapes, not songs. Celestial is not for everyone, nor should it be. 7 to 8 minute tribal beatings will definitely not get you heavy radio airplay, and gratefully so. This will probably take a few listens to sink in, but when it does, be prepared for an album that is destined to become an underground classic. Aaron Turner's guttural voice highlights a good majority of this disc, but it is in the calm, atmospheric passages that Isis shine. Similar to Neurosis (in a good, not-copying-kind-of-way) in sonic extremity, Isis create an album as beautifully sedated as it is crushingly heavy. Check out Gentle Time, a personal favorite, for evidence of greatness, and remember that this is only their first full length. Isis goes on to shine, and outdo themselves, with Oceanic, but this deserves to stand on its own merits. Excellent.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Celestial, July 31, 2006

By	halfsharkalligatorhalfman™ "The_Technician" (Danger Zone) - See all my reviews

Once again, Isis continue to impress with their first full length album, Celestial. I have been going backwards through isis' releases, starting with Panopticon. This is probably the heaviest of Isis' three major full lengths. The songs in the album are separated by SGNLs, most of which sound like someone typing in the depths of the rainforest. SGNL>02 is pretty creepy because there is a muffled voice in the background speaking, but it is really hard to understand what he is saying. After the first SGNL, Celestial(The Tower) kicks in. This great opening track is followed by one of my favorites, Glisten. It is a pretty heavy track. The album is very similar to Oceanic, and there are some soft breaks in the heaviness. There is also a really good instrumental(Deconstructing Towers). The only problems I have with this album are the muddy sound quality and the sometimes weird vocals that Aaron utilizes. But these are minor gripes, and this is another five star album from Isis. You should definitely own this if you are a fan of Isis, or if you listen to bands like Neurosis or Pelican.