ericleb010
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Last Active 12-02-18 5:56 pm
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03.06.14 Top 25 Isis Tracks ♦03.05.14 Top 20 Cult Of Luna Tracks

Top 25 Isis Tracks

ISIS is a tough list to create. This certainly won't please reveryone, because their stuff ranges so far depending ron the album. Unfortunately I'm not familiar with the rMosquito Control and Red Sea EPs though, so I'll have rto do without.
1ISIS
Panopticon

"IN FICTION" --- Perhaps their most popular track, and
rightfully so. The build-up is so
well-paced and so gradual, that you don't even see the
first four minutes go by. Not to
mention the sheer atmosphere bleeding from the
instruments. But that bass line quickly
signals a change of pace, the vocals kick in, the song
audibly tries to contain itself...
and what an massive sequence that follows.
2ISIS
In the Absence of Truth

"NOT IN RIVERS BUT IN DROPS" --- While the build-up is
just on par with the rest of
their stuff, the group absolutely kills it in the latter five
minutes, making it the most
iconic ISIS moment recorded. Harris is a beast on drums
here, stealing the show on
multiple occasions.
3ISIS
Melvins / Isis

"THE PLIABLE FOE" --- It might have sentimental value as
the last song recorded by the
band before their break-up, but it doubles as a very well-
thought out addition to the
Melvins split. The real fun begins four minutes in, when
the teasing ends and the main
build-up begins. The atmosphere is incredible past this
point and the twin guitars
absolutely blow my mind. Every damn time.
4ISIS
Panopticon

"BACKLIT" --- Everything is just so powerful on this track.
Even the transition in the
middle can't contain its intensity, and slowly begins to
release again... damn good end
as well.
5ISIS
Oceanic

"THE OTHER" --- Starts off quite gently with a nice
groove, but then proceeds to spit
in your face with this "bait and switch". The second half
of this track is where it
excels though, with its crushing riff repeating masterfully
into a build-up.
6ISIS
Panopticon

"SO DID WE" --- The album doesn't even get the chance to
start, and the guitars are
blaring. But only for thirty seconds. Then a beautiful
atmosphere sets in,
overshadowed by bouts of intensity. The constant
shifting makes for a great intro to
this album.
7ISIS
Celestial

"COLLAPSE AND CRUSH" --- Some good old drone starts
this one off, before slowly
coming out of it in one piece. Despite the name of the
track, it seems to be rebuilding
itself, gaining more definition until the epic conclusion.
8ISIS
Celestial

"CELESTIAL (THE TOWER)" --- It's such a strange track in
retrospect, with the
scratching and the deep bass pulses, but then the giant
guitar emerges halfway into
the second minute, becoming way more prominent over
the next two minutes and
deliver that pounding riff. Then the more familiar ISIS
comes out to lead us out into
the next track. It's just so raw.
9ISIS
Oceanic

"THE BEGINNING AND THE END" --- The start is catchy,
but it in no way hints at
what's ahead. The pummelling guitars and vocals
subside to deliver some lengthy
soundscape, but only a few minutes later, they return to
aid the song to come to a
fitting close.
10ISIS
Oceanic

"WEIGHT" --- This track has, and always will be the post-
metal posterboy. It's just
one epic 10-minute-long build-up and climax, with a
gentle guitar, soft drumming, and
female vocals. But to think this was done so incredibly
well over ten years ago is
astounding.
11ISIS
Oceanic

"HYM" --- Gallagher's guitar work is absolutely fantastic
in this one, taking us on a
massive distortion ride. Turner's vocals at the mid-
section are just bloodcurdling.
12ISIS
Wavering Radiant

"HAND OF THE HOST" --- Probably one of their most
mature compositions, which
continues the album's wonderfully haunting atmosphere.
The first half is just beautiful
thanks to the echoing guitar and Turner's longing vocals;
the transition to the second
half foreshadows a much more confident and heavy end.
13ISIS
Panopticon

"GRINNING MOUTHS" --- A very nice end to one of the
band's best albums. It takes a
little while to properly get it started, but the wait pays off
once the guitar and bass kick
in. The final three minutes are a knock-out.
14ISIS
Wavering Radiant

"THRESHOLD OF TRANSFORMATION" --- The transition
in the first minute gives me
chills every time. They continue to push you until about
the sixth minute, where
you somehow get the impression that you're listening to
a different song
altogether. Still unsure if that's a positive thing though.
15ISIS
Oceanic

"CARRY" --- This track is another slow build-up, with the
lead coming in three
minutes in to introduce the "oceanic" feel. But the track
really shines after this,
where a mix of Harris' and female backing vocals lead us
through the thick. Quite
atmospheric. And of course, a fitting conclusion follows
afterwards.
16ISIS
Wavering Radiant

"20 MINUTES / 40 YEARS" --- A very doomy start to this
track segues into Harris'
calming voice, while the guitar occasionally weeps in the
distance. But as always,
tension begins to grow, and both Gallagher and Meyer
push us toward the anthemic
yell at the end.
17ISIS
Wavering Radiant

"HALL OF THE DEAD" --- This is by far their most
interesting opener. The eerie
keyboards, the clean guitars, and the end tops it all off
very well.
18ISIS
Celestial

"GENTLE TIME" --- Meyer takes the lead here and has
that Deftones feel in his voice, which is crazy
awesome and (unfortunately) isn't seen in later albums.
But the second half of the
track is absolutely gold.
19ISIS
Oceanic

"FALSE LIGHT" --- The main riff is just plain cool. They
build on it a few minutes in,
and it just gets cooler from there on.
20ISIS
In the Absence of Truth

"OVER ROOT AND THORN" --- Starts off brutally slow, but
eventually shifts into
higher gears, showcasing Turner's flexible vocals. Quite
the pleasant song as a
whole.
21ISIS
Melvins / Isis

"WAY THROUGH WOVEN BRANCHES" --- Dat bass. The
track itself has an optimistic
feel to it, even though it's clear there's a lot of darkness.
The ending half is pretty
cool, and the end is even cooler.
22ISIS
Wavering Radiant

"GHOST KEY" --- This one goes from being quite relaxed
and accessible, to
alternating between bouts of intensity and control. I've
said it often in this list, but
the two guitars work very well together for creating the
soundscape.
23ISIS
In the Absence of Truth

"DULCINEA" --- The drums are catchy here, and the guitar
seems to follow it rather
than the other way around. The first half is pretty much
the main plus here.
24ISIS
In the Absence of Truth

"HOLY TEARS" --- This one can get played out quickly. It's
redeeming quality is it's
final stretch though, which is pretty heavy and
controlled.
25ISIS
Panopticon

"WILLS DISSOLVE" --- This track tries to follow the same
theme as the preceding
track, In Fiction, but lacks the atmosphere and the
consistency. Luckily, the
beginning holds up on its own and the ending is pretty
nice.
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