I can't believe this album. It's a 10/10 no skip album for me. It is the peak when it comes to Isis and post metal.

Why is it so great? There are 4 songs in particular that stand above the other excellent songs. Those songs are False Light, Weight, From Sinking, and Hym.

False Light is a masterful song that gives me the chills. How can a song like this be so outstanding

Then the slow cooker with Weight. Weight literally feels like a weight is on me, crushing me down until nothingness.

From Sinking is just a fantastic song. The ending is such a payoff, that riff is my favourite part.

Hym is the crushing finale to quite possibly THE greatest post metal album of all time. It just gives me goosebumps.

All in all, this album is my absolute favourite post metal album. This album would be an ∞/10 however ratings don't work that way. I love Oceanic, love Isis (the band), and most importantly, I love post metal.

Tough to get a proper pic since it wraps all the way around.

I was really honored to get to do this - Panopticon by Isis was one of the earliest albums to really blow my mind and expand my idea of music when I was a young teenager. Got to tell Aaron about how Old Man Gloom melted my face off when I saw them in a church basement in Philly a little over a decade ago. The guy has been a massive musical influence for more than half of my life, so this was obviously very exciting.

I discovered this band mainly out of curiosity because of their band name being mistaken for a certain violent Islamic group. Panopticon was the album I love first and Oceanic was a grower to me. As the years went on, Oceanic has gone on to become one of my favorite metal albums of all time for its bleak and heavy atmosphere and their masterful use of timbre and crescendos. Like another style of metal love Gothic metal, post-metal was my gateway into post-rock music and ISIS was among those bands that taught about drawned out, drone-like, artsy atmospheric songs and post-rock and post-metal has become a factor in the music that I'm trying to make right now and I'm still not tired of it. Oceanic turns 23 years old this year.

Ticket to Sumac sticking out (top left).

Was flying out of the Bay Area the other day and had an excellent angle of the same area shown on the cover of Isis’s Panopticon— a photo that Aaron Turner himself took while flying out of SFO.
Have been re-listening to the album quite a bit since then.

So, this is happening!

Can’t believe I still have this! Check it out. Think it’s worth anything?

I have to go with Isis' Oceanic. It was already good the first time I listened to it. 11 spins later, it's my favourite album out of any metal genre, not just post metal.

The 8 Tracks Of Perfection

1. The Beginning And The End

2. The Other

3. False Light

4. Carry

5. (-)/Maritime

6. Weight

7. From Sinking

8. Hym

My Isis vinyl collection. This picture makes me happy but I don`t know anyone who would appreciate it except the people in this sub so here it is. 

Some relatively rare stuff here and some not rare at all. 

One thing I regret is not buying Panopticon when it came out. I know this is a very unpopular opinion, but coming after Celestial and Oceanic, Panopticon was a bit of a disappointment for me. I was young and it felt like they were going too much in a post rock direction at the expense of their crushing sound, so I didn't buy it. I was wrong, Panopticon is great, I wish I had a first pressing, they are too expensive now. Interestingly enough I loved ITAOT when it came out which had an even cleaner sound. Go figure. 

These days I only listen to Isis a handful of times per year, there is just too much great new music to get through (how good is that Agriculture record?), when I do it's usually celestial or the mosquito/red sea pairing, people never really change I guess.

All in all, an amazing run of records. I think they called it quits at the right time, it doesn't seem like there was much left to explore in that softer direction and Sumac is incredible, it feels as innovative as Isis felt at the time (and perhaps even more cathartic live). 

Anyway, here`s to good music and being middle aged.

Attended my first Amenra ritual on the first stop of their Asia tour in Bangkok yesterday.

My first show ever, with one of my favourite bands ever, and I’d like to think that they set the bar way too high.

Immensely heavy, cathartic, and intense all at the same time.

Setlist (for those who are interested) was:

Boden
Razoreater
Salve Mater
Plus Pres De Tois
De Evenmens
A Solitary Reign
Ter Ziele
Am Kreuz
Diaken

Feel free to ask me anything about the show!

This isn’t even all my CDs or shirts haha

If you love Isis and have some money to spare, treat yourself to a first press Oceanic from “Trust No One” in Sweden. Whoever cut those masters for the stampers did a sick job and they’re my favorite to play.

One of these copies belonged to Aaron Turner (got it from a friend of his who writes for Decibel, others) but of course I didn’t label which one 🤪🤪🤪

Isis rules. Aaron is tattooing me next month too 😎

Let’s discuss: most underrated or underappreciated song in the catalog?

I’ve got 2 answers: False Light and Deconstructing Towers

Quiz time: why have I included the Envy/Jesu split? 😎😎

https://neurosis.merchtable.com/?

So, I just met up with Aaron Turner from Isis to get a tattoo in honor of my late friend, Kyle. Kyle passed in 2010, the same year Isis broke up. I am **NOT** a tattoo person but after Kyle died, a few of our crew got the same tattoo he had - the Vegvisir.

I had wanted it forever, but without being a tattoo person or having any myself, I never felt the urge to get it done until I saw a photo of Aaron giving Morris from Blood Incantation a Grateful Dead stealy logo (the skull with the lightning bolt). I grew up on death metal but play jamband music professionally now and of course I’ve loved Isis since discovering Mosquito Control and Celestial on Napster in 8th grade.

So, we booked the trip to Seattle. Aaron was a **gem** and was so gracious talking shop with me about all things Isis. He even signed my 1st press Oceanic jacket (Trust No One 1st pressings from Sweden are my favorite) and was just an absolute fucking angel about everything.

The pain of the tattoo has kept some details away from our conversation but he told me a funny story about opening for Napalm Death and they purposefully would open that tour with C.F.T. because it would piss most of the people off, but the few people who would get it, would reallllllly get it, and that’s what they wanted.

I can’t thank him enough. He made a dream come true.

He also doesn’t like Death Magnetic lol

Last night was the 5th time I’ve seen them live and they always deliver. Dave Turncrantz is an absolute demon.

Which album wins your heart? I know it's hard, that's why you've got to decide!