Holy Tears [Single]

Isis (Rock) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 5, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Single
• Label: Ipecac Recordings
• ASIN: B000X8EDLG
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #270,155 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Holy Tears (Album Version)

2. Not In Rivers, But In Drops (Melvins Remix)

3. Holy Tears (Live at the Continental Airlines Arena, E. Rutherford, NJ

4. Holy Tears (Video directed by Dominic Hailstone

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

With a musical trajectory that spans nearly a decade, ISIS has emerged from the frozen recesses of New England to become an internationally renowned force in underground music. Critically revered as the vanguard of "art metal," the band has consistently exploded the idiomatic strictures that have traditionally defined heavy music, with each new release expanding and improving upon the innovations of its predecessor.

On the band's fourth full-length, In The Absence of Truth, the members of ISIS (vocalist/guitarist Aaron Turner, guitarist/keyboardist Clifford Meyer, bassist Jeff Caxide, drummer Aaron Harris and guitarist Mike Gallagher) have wed the post-psychedelic crush of 2000's Celestial to the extended instrumental passages and tension-escalating dynamics that have since become the band's sonic signature. Produced and recorded with the utmost clarity and fidelity by longtime ISIS co-conspirator Matt Bayles at the Bomb Shelter in downtown Los Angeles, In The Absence of Truth is a living, breathing panorama of soaring melodies, dizzying rhythmic ziggurats and seismic heaviness. Cyclical slow-motion bursts of kaleidoscopic notes ring out across orchestral guitar squalls as Meyer erects a wall of electronically-enhanced power-atmospherics and Caxide's mesmerizing sub-aquatic bass volleys spiral endlessly under the sweeping dirge and drone of the band's devastating triple-guitar ensemble. Throughout the album, Turner's vocals have assumed a decidedly cleaner, clearer quality than on previous releases, and Harris' drum work has become even more profoundly expansive and nuanced.

Conceptually, the album exists in a nebulous purgatory where elaborately constructed falsehoods pass for fact, where verity is relative to the purposes of those who invoke it, and where traditional notions of time and space are manipulated for purposes of psychic control. Harnessing influences that span nearly a thousand years' worth of literary and esoteric history, In The Absence of Truth merges the ancient with the modern in a non-linear conjuration of colluding elements.

All told, In The Absence of Truth is not only the latest zenith in ISIS' already impressive musical catalogue, but also a triumphant sonic apex unto itself.

Further Propaganda:

In addition to many high-profile live demonstrations at numerous international music festivals such as All Tomorrow's Parties (2004, curated by Mogwai) and Japan's Fuji Fest (2006), ISIS recently performed at the Museum Of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles. Earlier this year, they were commissioned to play their 2002 album, Oceanic, in its entirety as part of All Tomorrow's Parties' "Don't Look Back" series, in which such indie heavyweights as the Melvins, Low and Tortoise also participated.

After three previous full-lengths (including 2004's groundbreaking Panopticon), three EPs and an Oceanic remix collection, ISIS recently released their first DVD, Clearing The Eye, and have issued four highly sought-after limited-edition live LPs. Earlier this year, the band collaborated with Scottish dream rock avatars Aerogramme for a forthcoming installment of In The Fishtank, an ongoing recording project sponsored by Dutch music distributor Konkurrent in which two musical entities are paired up and given two days of studio time. ISIS have previously collaborated (either live or in the studio) with Tim Hecker, Justin Broadrick (Godflesh, Jesu), Justin Chancellor (Tool), 27, Dälek and Lustmord.

Beyond their primary artistic focus in ISIS, the band's members also participate in many other distinguished musical endeavors, including Old Man Gloom (Turner), Red Sparowes (Meyer), House Of Low Culture (Turner), MGR (Gallagher), The Gersch (Meyer), Windmills By the Ocean (Meyer) Los Angeles Digital Noise Academy (Harris) and Drawing Voices (Turner).

Product Description

Isis, the innovative LA by way of Boston based band, just celebrated their 10th anniversary with a bi-coastal tour as well as releasing a pair of CD singles. The singles, original songs culled from the 2006 release of In The Absence of Truth, are for "Holy Tears" and "Not In Rivers, But In Drops."

The first of two enhanced CD singles is "Holy Tears". Label mates Melvins do a remix as well as a live version and a video.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad eh... But a little steep?, March 25, 2008

By 

B. Gilroy "Blobs 23" (New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Holy Tears (Audio CD)

Yeah picked it up the other day, its actually rather good. I've listened to it a good 10 or so times now and i must say, the Melvin/Lustmord remix is a must for any true isis fan. The video, despite being a little creepy is very well done (VERY WELL DONE!) and the live version is also excellent, taken from a the tour with Tool in 06. My only grizzle is it is very, very expensive for essentially a video you watch once and two songs, (since we already have holy tears on the album). AND, in fact, mine didn't even have 'holy tears the album version' at all. lol, it was wrists of kings instead... not that i don't like the song or anything but shouldn't a song labelled 'holy tears' actually be the song? hmm. Maybe its just my version. I'd be interested to see if anyone else's is the same. So, not bad if you're a big fan, but otherwise its not really worth $20.

5 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WORTH THE WAIT, February 11, 2008

By 

B. Cox "Music Snob" (Nawf Kakalaka) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Holy Tears (Audio CD)

Do you really need to read a review??? Just buy it, already. This is a great song and a great single, celebrating the 10 year anniversary of ISIS. Single includes album and live (from the TOOL Tour) versions of "Holy Tears" as well as a "Holy Tears" music video directed by Dominic Hailstone, and a Melvins/Lustmord version of "Not in Rivers but in Drops." Sound and visual quality are excellent all around, as you might expect from ISIS. The CD comes in a folded cardboard sleeve with liner notes, not a cardboard pouch or plastic jewel box. Destined to be a collector's item...

3 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Video not included on my CD - no details on replacements, February 19, 2008

By 

Music Fan Mark "Music Fan" (California USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Holy Tears (Audio CD)

I just got my Holy Tears CD single today and even though Amazon and the printing on the packaging list the Video as the fourth element on this CD, it is nowhere to be found on my copy. My DVD player reads it as a music CD with 3 tracks as do my CDRom and computer's DVD drives. VLC and my computers' DVD software do not find any sort of video file on the disc. I may have to return it to Amazon and wait until there is confirmation that the discs are being made with the video on them.

From ISIS's band website: "SINGLES AND BOX SET? (2.06.08):::

Many of you have been inquiring about the "Holy Tears" single - Due to unforseen manufacturing mishaps the release of the "Holy Tears" single is once again being postponed... however it will be available very very soon. If you somehow managed to get one of the defects, then don't worry the real thing will be available shortly. We will keep you posted."

So, I'm sorry to give this a one star rating as the music and talent behind this band really are 5 stars! Just be cautious as you might not actually get the video on your disc. Watch for some official news, hopefully it will trickle down to Amazon's product page.

EDIT: (March 21, 2008)
ISIS' website now states; "HOLY TEARS SINGLES ARE IN!!! (3.14.08):::
Available now at all your favorite interweb shopping centers! Again we aplogize for the many delays, but hopefully it will be worth the wait."<sic>

So, does this mean Amazon has the full product? Please let us know here if your "Enhanced" single bought from Amazon has the video on it. Let's hope they don't just sell-through the defective ones. -- Thanks