In the Absence of Truth

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In the Absence of Truth
In the Absence of Truth cover
Studio album by Isis
Released October 31, 2006
Recorded June 8, 2006 - July 2, 2006
Genre Post-metal
Length 64:49
Label Ipecac Recordings
Foreshadow (vinyl release)
Producer(s) Isis, Matt Bayles
Professional reviews
Isis chronology
Live.04
(2006)		 In the Absence of Truth
(2006)


In the Absence of Truth is the fourth full-length studio album by Los Angeles, California-based post-metal band Isis, released on October 31, 2006 (see 2006 in music).

The album expands upon the group's previous full-length, Panopticon, further exploring lead singer Aaron Turner's clean vocals (though his former techniques more related to screaming and growling are still present as well). Musically, the album is dynamic, ranging from extended musical ambience to almost tribal drumming. Isis continue writing lengthy songs in comparison to mainstream bands; Absence is in fact Isis' longest CD, clocking in at almost 65 minutes.

The album is also Isis' most commercially successful to date, reaching #6 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart.[1]

Contents

[edit] Reception

Overall, the album garnered positive reviews, receiving a 70% score on Metacritic,[2] but came under fire in several areas. For instance, a review in Q Magazine stated that the album uses "a powerful formula, but one the band perfected with their 2002 album Oceanic",[3] and Delusions of Adequacy feels that "it feels like In the Absence of Truth finds the band both spinning its wheels and running out of ideas".[4] The central point of these arguments was that In the Absence of Truth was too similar to previous outputs Oceanic and Panopticon.

However, some reviews found that similarity to be positive, and viewed it more as progression and evolution than repetition. Stylus Magazine repeated similar sentiments as those of the previous reviews, but did not feel that re-using a successful formula was a burden, Cosmo Lee saying "It's not Isis' fault that they sound unoriginal these days. All you have to do is pick up a copy of Decibel, open it to any page, and you’ll find someone counting the group as an influence. … The songs are still long, the rhythms are still organic, and in general Isis still sounds like Isis". Having said this, the review is still very positive.[5] PopMatters repeated the views of Lee, stating Isis are "a band knowing how to execute the formula to near-perfection",[6] and Thom Jurek of Allmusic expanded upon that point further, stating "This set is not a brave leap…but a further look up the holy mountain to a new plateau, a hike to sacred ground".[7] Yet Drowned in Sound reviewer Mike Diver viewed the album differently; that Isis have "pushed themselves on this album, striving to achieve something honestly different to what was released before it".[8]

“ Isis have been onto something from the very beginning and got to the edge of the abyss with Oceanic. Panopticon took an oppressive yet wonderfully curious view of its surroundings. In the Absence of Truth takes them into its dark heart squalling, whispering, crawling, drunkenly falling into its center, punching, screaming, and kicking until there is nothing left but silence. This is rock in the 21st century, anything less is cowardice. ”
 
— Thom Jurek[7]

[edit] Themes

While no official lyrics have yet been released, the album seems likely to connect with Isis's past legacy of concept albums, wherein some of the lyrics (such as "She was his queen" from "Dulcinea") relate to past themes. Turner has confirmed the presence of a concept: "I won't say what the concept is, but I can give you some clues about what inspired it: Hassan-i-Sabbah, the Islamic mystic cult leader, (Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra's) Don Quixote, (Mark Z. Danielewski's) House of Leaves, and (Jorge Luis Borges') Labyrinths."[9]

Track titles explicitly reference Dulcinea from Don Quixote and Hassan-i-Sabah's garden Firdous e Bareen, although that track is instrumental.

[edit] Track listing

  1. "Wrists of Kings" – 7:45
  2. "Not in Rivers, but in Drops" – 7:48
  3. "Dulcinea" – 7:10 (sample (help·info)))
  4. "Over Root and Thorn" – 8:31
  5. "1,000 Shards" – 6:17
  6. "All out of Time, All into Space" – 3:04
  7. "Holy Tears" – 7:04
  8. "Firdous e Bareen" – 7:50
  9. "Garden of Light" – 9:17

[edit] Personnel

  • Matt Bayles – Audio engineering, audio mixing and production
  • Ed Brooks - Mastering
  • Jeff Caxide – Bass guitar, songwriting
  • Aaron Harris – Drums, songwriting
  • Jason Hellmann – Website design
  • Michael Gallagher – Guitar, songwriting
  • Mike Gerlach - Assistant engineer
  • Bryant Clifford Meyer – Electronics, guitar, songwriting
  • Greg Moss - Live sound
  • Caleb Scofield - Additional vocals on track 5
  • Aaron Turner – Vocals, guitar, hand drawn artwork, songwriting
  • Charley Turner - Additional vocals on tracks 2 and 7
  • Troy Ziegler – Additional percussion and acoustic guitar on track 8

[edit] Chart positions

Billboard (North America)

Year Chart Position
2006 Top Heatseekers 6[1]
2006 Top Independent Albums 20[1]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Isis at Billboard.com. Retrieved January 13, 2006.
  2. ^ In the Absence of Truth at Metacritic. Retrieved January 1, 2007.
  3. ^ Q Magazine December 2006, p141.
  4. ^ Davenport, Jon. Isis - In the Absence of Truth. Delusions of Adequacy. Retrieved on January 1, 2007.
  5. ^ Lee, Cosmo. Isis - In the Absence of Truth - Review. Stylus Magazine. Retrieved on January 1, 2007.
  6. ^ Begrand, Adrien. Isis - In the Absence of Truth - PopMatters Music Review. PopMatters. Retrieved on January 1, 2007.
  7. ^ a b Jurek, Thom. allmusic ((( In the Absence of Truth > Overview ))). Allmusic. Retrieved on February 8, 2007.
  8. ^ Diver, Mike. Isis - In the Absence of Truth - Review. Drowned In Sound. Retrieved on January 1, 2007.
  9. ^ Bennet, J. Isis: Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil. Rock Sound Issue 87, August 2006. 32-34.
Isis
Aaron Turner | Jeff Caxide | Michael Gallagher | Aaron Harris | Cliff Meyer
Chris Mereschuk | Jay Randall
Albums
Celestial | Oceanic | Panopticon | Oceanic Remixes | In the Absence of Truth
EPs
Mosquito Control | The Red Sea | Sawblade | SGNL>05 | In the Fishtank 14
Live
Live.01 | Live.02 | Live.03 | Live.04
DVD
Clearing the Eye
Official website
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../i/n/_/In_the_Absence_of_Truth_19c1.html"
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