This is the one that started it all. After a few releases under Neurosis’ shadow, Isis made it: they redefined their sound, creating a new genre in the process. And so post-metal was born.
That’s why this is their most important record. And that’s why Isis would probably have never reached the same peaks again. Even if they had decided to continue their career, they would be forever under Oceanic’s shadow.
A sober and minimalistic cover
So, how does it sound? Heavy, vast, powerful, calm, unstoppable, beautiful, frightening, mesmerizing, intimidating… just like the ocean. I cannot think of a better title for this album. If you read the lyrics it makes much more sense. Oceanic is a concept album, it tells (or more exactly suggests) a story about incest and suicide through drowning. Quite serious stuff as you can see, but it fits the music well.
If I must choose a single word to describe Oceanic, it would be dramatic: songs are long, serious, tense, with lengthy build ups that suddenly explode in enormous climaxes. Isis’ music is not very technical or complex, but it is really effective. They are masters of tension and release, but unlike blues players, they make it in a more extreme and unpredictable way.
Bass lines swing you like smooth waves in the sea, but repetitive guitar melodies and dry, precise drumming create a feeling of uneasiness, remembering you of the storm to come. Thundering guitars are a relieve when they come. Hardcore metal sinking everything in its path, building tension ad infinitum until the whole thing inevitably collapses again… Calm before the next storm.
All this has become a genre cliche. If you are familiar with the style but don’t know this album (unlikely thing) you may not find it that original. You may even think it is not that good. As I already said, Isis have perfected their craft. Oceanic is a long album (about an hour) and it is dense, really dense. Production is quite good, but the sound is loud and abrasive. And though each song is different, they share a similar structure (you know, tension and release).
So it may be hard to swallow it whole, specially if you ears are not used to the style. There it is, I said it! Yes, this is a classic. This is really good. But it’s not perfect. I’d even dare to say Oceanic works better as a two part album, some kind of double EP. Even the album structure seems to suggest this. The central interlude, titled just “–” is a good place to split it. The first part would be composed of four really solid songs. The second part seems even more interesting when listened on its own. “–”, Maritime and the first half of Weight together are a loooong and great intro, a 10 minute crescendo that doesn’t fully explode until the next song.
You can think Oceanic is too long for its own good, or you can think of it as two great parts. Anyway, Oceanic is undoubtedly a stepping stone in metal history.
This is an absolute must.
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