Originally Posted by LoathsomePete

Just over 25 reviews and already 3 albums are from the emerging post-metal/atmospheric sludge metal/post-rock/metal-gaze/whateverthefuckitsbeingcalledthisweek genre. I have an admiration for the experimentation and the willingness to showcase metal in ways that defy the stereotypes. Not only that it makes for great study music if you let it, so that's always a plus.

If Neurosis are is the father of this bastard sub-genre then ISIS would probably be the cool uncle that would buy you alcohol and leave his porno magazines in easy-to-find places. They had a 13-year life and in that time release 5 studio LP's and a large handful of EP's, live albums, demos, and splits with other bands. Vocalist Aaron Turner also founded Hydra Head Records, a label that specializes in signing and promoting post-metal bands but also houses such notable artists as Kayo Dot (Experimental/ Avant-garde metal), Dalek (Hip Hop), and Agoraphobic Nosebleed (Grindcore).

Out of all of their albums, I feel that Panopticon (2004) does the best job at bridging the gap between post-rock and post-metal, which I think is an important step in helping the genre break out of its niche appeal. Mid '90's Neurosis can definitely appeal to to any metalhead, but if someone is unfamiliar with the genre, then it's appeal is limited. That said though, listening to early Mogwai, one can definitely hear the influence, and vice-versa with ISIS. ISIS definitely take a lot of their influence from the layered atmosphere building of Mogwai and Godspeed You! Black Emperor and I think those influences really shine through on this album, which makes it a perfect entry point from post-rockers to make the plunge into the murky depths of post-metal.

The song lengths can be a bit of a problem, especially if you go into the album intending to rock out. While there certainly are moments to bang your head, it's a very slow moving album with a lot of build up to these moments, so in most cases you would have probably stopped caring by then. This presents the hardest challenge post-metal has with finding its audience. Not everyone who listens to post-rock wants to headbang, and not every metathead wants to wait 6 minutes for the song to get heavy, however if you have the patience and an appreciation for atmosphere, then neither problem should be too much of an issue.

As is the case with a lot of post-metal albums (and ISIS albums in particular) is the running theme throughout the album. I can't say I've delved too deep into what Panopticon is about, however if Wikipedia is to believed it's a theoretical prison design that allows guards to peer in without alerting the inmates that they are being watched. It was envisioned by philosopher Jeremy Bentham in the late 18th century and it's general idea was to instill discipline through psychological control. A pretty high-brow theme for a metal album, however one that would be a little hard to follow if you didn't sit down and read the lyrics and other people's interpretations to help form your own.

Panopticon is definitely in a league of its own when it comes to blending the sounds of post-metal and post-rock into something that can please (most) of both camps. It's definitely the kind of album you would put on in the background while writing or browsing the internet, but it will catch your attention again and again with heavy hooks, and brilliantly written passages. If you're looking to get into the genre or the band, I'd definitely recommend this as your first album.