FEAR, EMPTINESS, DECIBEL: ISIS’ OCEANIC ENTERS THE HALL OF FAME

Before there were blogs there were these things called magazines, and the only metal magazine we still get excited about reading every month is Decibel. Here’s managing editor Andrew Bonazelli…

So, this Palms thing is happening next year, which—if this month’s studio report is to be reduced to conjecture—consists of Chino Moreno going cawwwwwwwwwwwrrrrrawwkakakakakakwk over a bunch of nine-minute songs written by three dudes from Isis. I’m into it. A “Passenger”-style duet with Aaron Turner would have more exciting suck/rule potential, but this seems like a solid next step for some excellent, prolific musicians, whose last big band bade goodbye via 2009’s Wavering Radiant.

But the reason we even care is Isis’ “golden era,” which I just made up, but most fans who aren’t indie rock pussies would likely consider the period between 2000’s Celestial and 2004’s Panopticon. Right in the middle is 2002’s Oceanic, and it’s our latest honoree in the Decibel Hall of Fame. You may be wondering why Isis got in here before Neurosis, and the simple answer to that is Scott Kelly’s too busy removing his Nnamdi Asomugha backpiece to sit down for an interview (or, we’ve asked the band like a dozen times and not all of them wanna participate). Chronology notwithstanding, Oceanic is so crushing, so evocative, so fucking well-sequenced that it would be a crime not to include it. You can add “so influential” to that, and if you’d like to know if the band thinks that’s a good or bad thing (Cult of Luna FTW!), check it out in the Testament issue pronto.

-AB

The September issue of Decibel also features Testament, Gojira, Ghost, and an awesome Coffins flexi disc, and can be ordered here. But Chief Chuck Billy says you should just get a full subscription to ensure that you never miss an issue!