Isis NZ Tour
SFBH, Wellington (18+)
Monday February 15th
Transmission Room, Auckland (All Ages and Licensed)
Tuesday February 16th
Tickets on sale Monday August 24th from Moshtix (0800MOSHTIX, www.moshtix.co.nz and Real Groovy) and www.undertheradar.co.nz
The music of ISIS is a suitable metaphor for their twelve-year career: patient, meticulous, fraught with tension and gradually building towards an apex of seismic proportions. From the hypnotically bludgeoning down-tuned riffs of their early years to the gracefully sprawling passages on their pivotal sophomore album Oceanic and continuing through the intricate rhythmic textures and increased melody of 2006's In The Absence of Truth, ISIS have successfully navigated the process of growing and evolving without disavowing their initial vision.
Rare is the record that finds the individual players as compelling as the sum of their parts, and ISIS has achieved just that with their latest offering Wavering Radiant. The monolithic guitars of Aaron Turner and Michael Gallagher together evoke the emotional range of Wagner: brooding, triumphant, vengeful, and morose. Aaron Turner's vocals are more prominent than ever. But in keeping with the egalitarian nature of their art, the vocals continue to serve as flourishes rather than a focal point. Clifford Meyer's atmospheric textures are still present, but he unlocks new horizons for the band with Fender Rhodes, electric organ, and the occasional psychedelic guitar lead. Wavering Radiant also finally gives bassist Jeff Caxide his due, allowing his various approaches to further accentuate the music's shifting moods while anchoring the melodies into the formidable rhythm section and drummer Aaron Harris transcends the basic metronomic function of the drum set to imbue the percussive element of the band with a heightened sense of drama and power. Wavering Radiant finds every component of the ISIS armory coming into equal play.
Grandiose without being over-indulgent, epic without compromising focus, ISIS, with Wavering Radiant, have manipulated its tactics and strategies with a refined sense of purpose and a heightened knack for nuance. They've extrapolated on the polar nature of their music; simultaneously their most challenging and accessible material to date. And in February 2010, ISIS will make their long-anticipated return to New Zealand shores, their first visit since their much-heralded 2007 performance in Auckland, over a two date tour also taking in their first appearance in Wellington. With antipodean clamour for the band’s live masterworks at an all-time apex, the demand for the chance to witness the ISIS live experience will likewise be high. Avoid disappointment at all costs.
