Isis – In the Absence of Truth Review


Website: Isis

Art has hit metal hard in the last decade. Yet without an abundance of bands picking up the style, a culture of snobbery has yet to form. Those who have been creating the music over the last few years have grown, created identities, and gradually polished their creations. Renowned band Isis was recognized nearly from the start as painting a much larger picture than simple moody metal. With their latest release In the Absence of Truth, they continue the path they have been paving with atmospheric, progressive, dark metal. There’s no aim for mainstream acceptance here. Hell, one could say there’s no aim to please anyone aside from the whims of the minds of its band members. This is a major reason why the band has a strong underground following.

But it’s not just the ideas behind the music. While known for being heavy both emotionally and musically, In the Absence of Truth continues this tradition while turning up the prettiness and psychedelica. Songs like “Dulcinea” and opening track “Wrists of Kings” build very, very slowly with intricate rhythms and subtle tones to a climax of intense darkness and power. Though these patterns emerge throughout the album, its true coherence is clear as a body of mood.

The band’s weakness, as one finds typically with this sort of project, is a tendency to wander off-track and meander too long before reaching a dynamic high point. While this isn’t an immediate issue, it becomes clear throughout In the Absence of Truth that their art form at times becomes a predictable series of progressions. While this doesn’t change its relevance as individual pieces with different foci, it’s nearly like clockwork that one can pinpoint when the song will change from slow and somber to harsh and aggressive. It’s their own unique version of the verse-chorus-verse-bridge-chorus cliche.

Compared to their peers, Isis is still miles above most when it comes to creating music for music’s sake. Compared to Isis’ body of work, In the Absence of Truth is less exciting than Celestial or Panopticon, but certainly won’t offend their fanbase. Whether it holds up as its predecessors remains to be seen, but for those who prefer atmosphere to technical wanking, Isis is still the band for the muso set and a wonderful addition to any high-brow metal collection.