An overwhelming experience
As a self-contained entity, Isis' magnum opus Oceanic is peerless. It borrows from nothing, and contains no cruft, should you be willing to skip the bizarre interludes ("Maritime" and "-"). It has inspired countless imitators, and effectively spawned the genre of post-metal; any fans of Cult of Luna, Callisto, Pelican, Russian Circles et al. should have this album at the top of their reading list. Those are some insanely heady compliments I'm throwing around, and you may rightly ask why; what gives me the right to attribute this no-charting album such accolades. I'll tell you.
Should you somehow discover a means, you could listen to the drum track of this album for its full 63 minutes' runtime. Aaron Harris' talents best exemplify what makes this album so essential - the removal of all extraneous material. He is not virtuosic, but every beat is a necessary addition to the wall of sound created. Nothing could be constructively added, nothing constructively omitted. In a similar vein, there are no face-melting solos. Mindless self-indulgence is certainly not the ethic by which this album was constructed. As such, it doesn't feel like it was written per se; instead, it was emitted by messrs Turner, Caxide, Harris, Gallagher and Meyer. An emotion which runs wild when you lose that inhibition and mental elision which clouds us almost every minute of every day; that emotion which comes flooding through like adrenaline when you're driving fast and considering the truth at the heart of things: that fundamental, untarnished and completely essential grit of sentience which makes us human. It is exactly this precise, unnamed feeling that waxes and wanes with serious introspection which has been siphoned through Isis into something ethereal and quintessentially masculine, and something that will entirely leave you, after 63 minutes, feeling that you've just had some kind of reverie which you'd normally have to sit under a tree for 49 days to hit.
Now, that's a lot of words, and for some people, it simply won't hit that spot. It takes a lot of words to put it across because it's something nameless and holy and personal which I know a few people have experienced, and it's something I can rely on this album to provide. In less obtuse terms, here are some other great things about the album: it's mindlessly heavy and totally serene in equal measures. "The Beginning and the End" is perfect, no matter who you are. The female vocals give great respite when required. The artwork and liner notes are lovely. It may well be the most important metal album of the past ten years, in terms of heritage and legacy.
I'm a little biased, it's true. That was not an objective review. But if anyone else gets the privilege of experiencing what I do when I listen to this album, then my word-vomit was totally worthwhile. Just bid on it, already!Read full review
