1. Hall of the Dead - 7:41
2. Ghost Key - 8:31
3. Hand of the Host - 10:45
4. Wavering Radiant - 1:50
5. Stone to Wake A Serpent - 8:33
6. 20 Minutes / 40 Years - 7:07
7. Threshold of Transformation - 9:53
NOTE: You will not find a link for this album here. Sorry.
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So Isis's Wavering Radiant is on the net. Do the band a favor and buy this record if you like it, which I'm sure you will. They've done it again.
This record is by far the trippiest, spaciest, and grooviest Isis to date, and much of the record is extremely fresh sounding, while some of it seems almost like clear references to older material, which isn't a bad thing. The keyboards are much more prominent this time around, really taking the atmosphere of this record up to notches I never thought I'd hear. The music really fits with the album cover. You really can imagine yourself floating in outerspace whilst jamming out to this record.
You won't hear as much post rock influence as you would imagine, which was a surprise to me. Much of this record is more prog rock driven and groovy, and the tempo is at times a bit fast for Isis, which allows for several different amazing transitions and sections of lengthy songs. Gone are the incredibly long 4 minute build ups into 4 minute crescendo climaxes. The band has found a way to add them to the songs and only take a few moments to blow your mind, rather than stretching them out through the bulk of the track.
The record opens with "Hall of the Dead", and the fading in ambience should be a hint at the trance to come. The first riff is very similar to that of the opening riffs of Celestial, which is surprising. Although overall this album doesn't sound as much like TOOL as In The Absence of Truth did, the guitar work in this song reminds me a lot of Adam Jone's crafty, percussion-esque, palm mute style. Coincidently, he contributes guitar work to two of the 7 tracks on the record, and from what I can tell, it seems like he does the lead work in the hair raising build up later in the song.
"Ghost Key" opens up with something that sounds like a tripped out 70s jam band would produce, yet with bassist Jeff Caxide's signature delay/reverb tone underneath. Caxide's bass normally is mixed much louder than ever on this record, maybe even a bit too loud, though it adds to the rawness of the heavier parts. Turner's clean vocals really add to the angelicness of the beautiful crescendo's within this song, and Aaron Turner's name and angelic would normally never be mentioned in the same sentence. The song erupts into some of the heaviest moments on the record. The transitions from dark to light, destructive to ambient are really apparent in this song.
"Hand of the Host" may not be my favorite track but it holds my favorite moment on the record, and one of my favorite sections from any ISIS song as of yet - The triumphant singing section in the middle is absolutely outstanding. It's one of the more progressive and powerful things I've heard from this band and what's amazing is that it's all clean sung. Turner's raw vocals are also more powerful than ever, sometimes sounding like his emotional Oceanic roars, rather than the barbaric, gutteral bellows of Panopticon and In The Absense of Truth. The song transitions well into the instrumental title track, which sounds just as eerie as it is beautiful with headphones on. Resonating ambiance and extraterrestial, spacey noises, a few of them apparent in the soundscapes of the actual music.
Now comes the biggest grower on the album, "Stone to Wake A Serpent." The flow of this song reminds me of something off of In The Absense of Truth, though the music itself is far more interesting. Harris's tabla is apparent later in the track, and Turner's clean vocals are more hyptonic than ever. The heavier sections are some of the darkest, more brooding of the record. Extremely heavy and rumbling. My only complaint about this song is that the song ends too quickly. The last minute or so are so groovy and refreshing, I just wish it went longer.
The next track, "20 Minutes / 40 Years" is by far the most traditional, and standard of the album. It's not half as atmospheric, with the exception of the haunting intro, yet it has the only REALLY post rock-ish moment on the record, and coincidently it's also one of the most hair raising and beautiful sections of Wavering Radiant. Three triumphant and powerful guitars ring through the climax. Perfect 'single' for the album.
The finale, "Threshold of Transformation" was a given for being epic. ISIS have a knack for writing incredibly epic and fantastic album closers. And just look at the title!...Threshold...of Transformation. Anyways, to the song. The first half of this track oddly and surprisingly sounds like something off of Oceanic, and yes, it's that heavy. The second half of the song? Combine your typical and awesome Isis build up into climatic last track finale with the groovyness and gorgeous focus of the rest of the album and vuala. Very beautiful and somber outro as well.
So as I've said before, ISIS have done it again. They've expanded the envelope of standard post metal, and continue to progress and ignore hardcore fans wishes to return to the Red Sea style. ;)
I'm positive Wavering Radiant will appear at or close to the top of many listeners lists at the end of 2009, as it will for mine as well. And as I said before, BUY this record if you enjoyed it. It's clear the band's worked hard to make this piece, now it's your turn to show appreciation and assure them that it's payed off.
