Customer Reviews

Wavering Radiant

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Isis' Wavering Radiant is a tremendous accomplishment.

This album sees the band growing into a much tighter musical force, with greater focus on composition. The songs boast a feel of utter thoroughness, unlike the ones on their previous album, In the Absence of Truth. This is the result of all band members having written the album together rather than flying from the east coast to the west for sessions where every member tried to piece together their own riffs and melodies.

Although comprised by seven tracks, Wavering Radiant feels like a single composition broken down into parts for easier navigation purposes. There are nebuluos musical ideas linking the tracks together to achieve a cohesive vibe. Each cut is imbued with common musical threads, macro-compositional tonal centres, that strangely evoke previous (and following, as you go through the disc several times) numbers. What's more, sometimes the band employs the technique in the same track. The exchange of a single-riff theme between guitars, bass, drums, and even vocals on "Hand of the Host" is a prime example of this feat. Then, two tracks later, an awkwardly familiar theme appears and subtly glues them together.

Aaron Turner continues his classic harsh, raspy yells but also mixes it up with clean passages that are spread across the album. He is more courageous this time around, as he swiftly moves from his shattering growls to strangely addictive clean harmonies. In a way, this reminds me of Mikael Akerfeldt circa My Arms, Your Hearse. Though his clean singing still lacked greatly, it matched the flow of the record perfectly. The same case applies for Aaron Turner. His low, almost spoken-like delivery on the aforementioned "Hand of the Host" or the ending of "Stone to Wake a Serpent" is unexpectedly gripping given his abilities as a 'normal' singer. His clean singing has a dreamlike quality to it, and thus matches the lyrical theme of the album. Also, listen to the clean vocals on "20 Minutes / 40 Years," amidst the shimmering keyboards, heavy-duty bass, and nuanced drumming. He sounds absolutely desperate and convincing, especially when contrasted by the panicky growls later on.

Having worked with noted producer Joe Barresi (Melvins, Tool), the production is the best ever, with incredible tonal depth and sonic expanse. The drums sound a lot tighter, with some great Tool influence. There are tribal rhythms, fierce double-bass parts, and sparse, trance-like beats. The bass tone has never been better on an Isis album. Not only that, Jeff Caxide covers a broad spectrum. Rather than merely following the guitars or main melody, he assumes a central role in pretty much every song, providing counterpoint to the guitars and vocals as well as accentuating the songs' shifting moods. When he is not actively present in a progression, he serves a heavy low-end for added tension.

What cannot go unmentioned is keyboardist Bryant Clifford Meyer's contribution. His wide-ranging tone selections help achieve deeper atmospheres, especially on the Floydian pyschedelia that permeats "Threshold of Formation," by far their most epic and majestic album closer. Also, his slithering organs and shimmering keyboards draped over swirling guitar noise on the mid-section of "Hall of the Dead" are marvelous and extend the scope of the compositions.

Adam Jones from Tool appears on the album as a guest contributor, particularly shining on "Ghost Key," whose intro is both ghostly and beautifully fresh sounding. His use of modulation effects operates as a parameter to the wonderfully layered arrangement and nuanced drumming. He distills a textural element into the song which is patiently built into a quiet acoustic coda.

Wavering Radiant is an excellent body of work. This may be the album I've listened to most this year. It is absolutely addictive.

Ever since Isis moved to the West Coast, they started going toward a more mystic destination that's opposite of the darker sound they had when they were in Boston. Wavering Radiant continues the path they were on with In the Absence of Truth, only this time going along a path that needed a bit more clearing.

True to the direction the band was going in on ITAOT, the album is generally more up-tempo then their previous works and Aaron Turner may have more vocals on this record than any of the previous releases. However, the overall tone of the album is darker than their previous release, and that probably stems from their decision to part ways with long-time producer Matt Bayles and instead brought in "Evil" Joe Baressi to help the band restore some of grit in production.

As far as the songs go, it's mostly exactly what you'd expect from Isis: heavy songs that explore the space they're in and don't care to make time constraints. The difference I would think is that the band is starting to put as much emphasis on leads as they do on rhythm. The guitar work seems to be a bit more featured in this album than in albums past, the keyboards are definitely higher in the mix, and Aaron Turner is singing more, implementing both growls along to go with the "singing-as-an-instrument" motif that he's been going for since ITAOT (don't get that confused for the generic "good cop/bad cop" thing 41,793 other metal bands have going on.)

Overall, I really enjoy the album because the band's shown a considerable amount of growth since their inception and only continue to evolve. The album is great and the core songs of the album are fantastic. I would recommend this to fans of metal, progressive, and independent/alternative music. Based on the response I've gotten from people I know, this would probably appeal to any mainstream music fans who miss when the radio would play bands like Tool and Deftones.

This is not background music. This is music to listen to. If you invest som time, you will be rewarded. A combination of hardcore and prog rock. Isis plows new ground and take you on a journey you have never been on before. Simply fantastic.

I have a similar experience with each Isis release. I listen to it a few times without it truly hitting me so I put it aside for awhile. I come back to it and suddenly something clicks and I once again understand how great this band is. Maybe it is the frame of mind I am in at the time or the repeated listenings open it up? Suddenly, the dream like trance parts lift me up to another mental realm before the nightmare like heaviness brings me crashing down to reality.

It's amazing how the band rides the grooves created by drummer Aaron Harris. He is one of the few drummers who seems to squeeze emotion out of the drums. He sets the tone for another great Isis album.....

Isis are one of those rare entities that almost defy critical analysis. Almost every one of their major works is celebrated and rightly so: they're great. From embracing the sludge and primordial rage of Neurosis on earlier works to recording two seminal triumphs in most "Oceanic" and "Panopticon" that have become classics in their own right, I and many others, would be hard pressed to say exactly what they'd expect to hear on a new full length Isis album.

What sets this one apart from the others? It's hard to say exactly. It's definitely their heaviest collection of songs in many years, but they haven't substituted harder edged tones for decent songwriting, that much is clear. There's still long stretches of dissonant beauty punctuated by the identifiable Isis rhythm section. Maybe what's always set these guys apart is a tastefulness within these quiet-to-loud moments that feels flawlessly transitional. The keyboards have become slightly more prominent, the bass is a mutating beast that goes from a progressive watery flange tone to a rich, full presence that compliment the guitars - riffs that shuffle from crunchy to bright that always compliment the song and never stick out as anything too...obvious. Tool alumnus Joe Barressi should get due credit for his lively production work, giving the band an intricate sound that's more in line with their live show.

Wavering Radient is a great swan song. Isis have set the bar high and only time will tell if a band can take up the mantle for forward thinking metal of this style.

As usual, words can't very well describe the band... <Humble Attempt-> Give early Tool's rhythm section an extra 15 years of aging (think whiskey age), a healthy splash of the mellower Layne Staley-esque harmonies, and some occasional grunting (an acquired taste perhaps, but the vocals do make good mile markers and are a welcome addition). Give the band large canvasses (6-12 minutes or so), and we have Isis.

The real beauty- and what sets this apart from the others in the "genre" is the depth and development of the hooks and themes. They seem content to explore and revisit an idea to really flesh it out, as opposed to noodling for a sec and then leaving the sapling to die when the next 'movement' comes around... The word 'focused' comes to mind.

Complete and developed; well worth it if you can afford a 'repeat-listen-required' album.

I like to refer to Isis as the Sigur Ros of metal...and that is certainly what they have become for me. This newest record finds them continuing to refine their art...vocalist Aaron Turner uses more melody (stays on pitch much better as well, a personal annoyance on their earlier efforts). And yet they haven't lost any of the slow-burning crunch they've always been so good at. Even though it can function well as background music because of how slow most of the songs develop, I often find myself totally seduced and engrossed. One of my favorite bands right now. (track to sample: "20 Minutes / 40 Years")

Another potent slab of crushing "post ambient metal" from Aaron Turner and co. I've seen this band erroneously labeled as "Progressive" or "Rock" which can throw potential fans off who come here expecting to hear music in the same vein as Cynic, Dream Theater or perhaps something a little more straightforward and light. This is cerebral, haunting and addictive music of a different progressive variety. Walls of monolithic guitars weave themselves in and out of eerie bass notes which sound off in the darkness while the drums keep the heart of this beast alive and moving. The pace is relatively slow but consistent, never boring or plodding aimlessly. Keyboards/sound samples give the album extra depth and mystery with it's interesting interludes and ambient passages which sometimes make themselves known (Check out the title track "Wavering Radiant") or do their work within the songs in a subtle and almost invisible way (see "Hand of the Host") Aaron Turner's voice, be it a raging howl, restrained whisper or his ever evolving cleanly sung passages give this monster the ability of speech and communication. Each song being given equal treatment with his varying vocal style. No flash, no showing off, just simply done (but not simple) and effectively straight forward. Hard to ignore, easy to be impressed by, "Wavering Radiant" is an astounding release of slow moving molten destruction.
Recommended for fans of Godflesh/Jesu, Torche, Rosetta, etc.

I would actually rate Wavering Radiant at 4.5 stars if I could. I have been an Isis fan since Panopticon and have since acquired all of their other albums for my collection. So of course the day that Radiant became available I ordered it up from Amazon and marked off the days on the calendar until it arrived.

Isis makes some of the heaviest and moodiest music I've ever heard. Making frequent use of odd time signatures, keeping the lyrics to a minimum, and adding layer upon layer as each tune evolves, an Isis album is more something that you experience rather than listen. I had the perfect scenario when the CD finally arrived: a long 2-hour drive at night on an empty highway. I set the cruise control, loaded the disc into the changer, and cranked the volume.

The first thing I noticed is that this album builds on the blueprint laid out by In The Absence Of Truth. The songs tend toward the longer side, averaging around 8-10 minutes each, which gives the band plenty of space to evolve their melodies and explore various shades of light and dark within each song. The performances by all of the band members here are fantastic, but I was especially impressed with the work of drummer Aaron Harris. His newfound appreciation for nuance and subtlety behind the kit wonderfully complements 'Ghost Key' but he still has the power to drive heavy riffers like 'Stone To Wake A Serpent.'

I've seen some people compare Isis to Tool (one of my favorite bands) but I'm not sure that is a fair comparison. They are two different animals that happen to walk on some of the same terrain some of the time. But Isis has a much more minimalistic approach lyrically and tends a bit more toward dense layered guitars to build the mood as opposed to the powerful rhythm section of Justin and Danny from Tool.

In closing, Wavering Radiant is a fantastic album - a must have for any Isis fan and a great starter album for someone looking to research the band since it is a bit more accessible than some of their earlier works like Celestial and Oceanic. I did like In The Absence Of Truth just a bit more than Wavering Radiant, but that's only because I think Isis created a near-perfect album with ITAOT and I appreciated Aaron Turner's tendency to sing more than growl on ITAOT. Thank you, Isis, for another incredible album with staying power in my CD player...

I've been a fan of ISIS since Panopticon and until now, Oceanic was my favorite album. Wavering grew on me fast and, the more I listen, the more I hear and I think "how brilliant". These guys really took all their skill and know how from previous ISIS records and all of the members other projects i.e. MGR, ZOZOBRA AND RED SPAROWES (to name a few) and they collectively created one of the best albums to come out in years.
If this is their last album as ISIS, I think this is going out with a graceful huge bang. I can't stop listening to this one !