Labels: Escape Artist
Review by: Martin Brown
Whaddayaknow, ISIS have gone folk-rock! Only joking foo. This is 51 minutes of solid metal-hardcore brilliance. If you like their “Red Sea” and “Mosquito Control” stuff, this will blow your head clean off. The whole thing pummels: the bass drums feel like they’re winding you, the bass feels like it’s beating you in the stomach and the guitar and vocals combine in doing some neat baseball-bat work on your face. Gory yet suitably dramatic analogy. Occassionally, things are just topped off by a lapse into soft realms, but the quality, urgency, and goddamn evil of this music never ever lets up. I remember thinking when I first heard them of the beauty which can be crafted from harsh music. That’s what makes this band special: deep within all the screams, riffs and dirges, there is something gorgeous in there; a heart if you want to be that hackneyed. It’s the key to this band, and if you harness it then you’ll realise this is one of the most impressive releases around. Writhe-tastic