ISIS - The Red Sea CDep
Before attaining Celestial heights, ISIS plumbed the deepest and densest of musical depths with The Red Sea. Punishing and unrelenting, The Red Sea marked a new chapter in ISIS' mosquito-driven, conceptual universe. Incorporating nods to both vintage Earth and the Melvins, it was the two new "song" offerings that marked ISIS' growth beyond that of mere comparisons and demonstrated the grandeur of what was to follow. "The Minus Times" and "Red Sea" were equally as vicious, deliberate and punishing as anything on ISIS' debut EP, Mosquito Control, yet were each more involved, complex and buffeting, but without yielding ISIS' hypnotic nature. In addition to the striking, minimalist artwork (as always, by brainchild Aaron Turner), the B-side features ISIS' 1998, four-song demo. Showing a glimpse of ISIS in their formative stages, these four songs are harmful metallic shards driven by their influences (Neurosis, Godflesh, etc.), yet demonstrate ISIS' proficiency and potential. However, while the sonic density and darkness of The Red Sea enveloped unwary listeners, fleeting moments of melody and redemption shone like glimmering shards of hope. Easily the most claustrophobic and opaque ISIS release to date, The Red Sea stands as both a testament to Isis's past and their future.
