Epic unforgiving sonic crunch. (Oceanic - Isis)

Member Name: Mutalisk

Product:	Oceanic - Isis
Date:	11/04/09 (45 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: hypnotic, beautiful lyrics and music, incredible depth and imagery. Original and genre-defining

Disadvantages: Not easy listening!

Oceanic is a progressive post-metal album from Boston post-rock outfit Isis. It is available on Ipecac Records (Mike Patton of Faith No More's label) and is their second full length album, the first being 'Celestial.'

The album follows one main theme, a despondent man, who finds his soulmate and begins to feel a sense of completion at having gained a true and intense emotional connection with a female counterpart. By the fifth and sixth tracks however, it becomes apparent that she has been engaging in a long and passionate incestuous relationship with her brother. The man is then left with only one way to deal with his tortured emotional state.

It comes with a sleeve containing a little oceanic album-art alongside all of the lyrics, as well as a somewhat nebulous explanation of the story by Isis frontman Aaron Turner.

Oceanic is generally considered a turning point in Isis's style of music, moving away from the experimental sludge and drone heard in SGNL05 and Celestial, in favour of more ambient and ethereal backing noise coupled with some very repetitive, distinctive, unrelenting, crunching and distorted guitar hooks to form the foundation. This is then built upon almost systematically with clean guitar riffs and at one point, even female vocals, showing their slow transition into a post-rock group. All of these aspects become one by the end of the album, giving a sense of quiet awe and beauty previously unseen in Isis' wide-spanning genre groups.

The often tuneless vocals portray extreme torment in a very accurate manner. The lyrics may be seen as largely indecipherable due to the gruff, epic manner in which they are sung, but the juxtaposition of beautiful and meaningful words with jagged post-rock vocal stylings creates a real feel of a relationship between intense emotional torment and vast stretches of space. A key theme of this album seems to be vastness and monochromacy, something which can in many ways be attributed to the key subject matter - The Ocean.
It is metaphysical nuances such as this in which bands like Converge and Godflesh fall short, sadly and incorrectly being tarred with the same brush as bands like Isis, Neurosis and Cult of Luna who, whilst occupying the same genre(s,) far excel such counterparts in lyrical themes and stylings.

Many consider this album to have spawned the phrase 'post-metal' due to the ill-defined boundaries of progressive rock, post-rock, hardcore and metal.

For fans of Red Sparowes, Tribes of Neurot, Pelican and Jesu.

Summary: Beautiful and unforgiving.