PANOPTICON

With their third studio album, ISIS continue to evolve. After releasing an outstanding album such as Oceanic many bands fall into the trap of copying themselves, not ISIS however who not only evolve, but manage to surpass a great work with a monumental album.

The album album opener So did We starts with heavy riff and growling vocals but then as quickly as it started, it mellows down into a calm, atmospheric but turbulent part and as the song progresses, so does the turbulence, as the layers of sounds add up and thicken the massive wall of sound that the song is. Then the song explodes into a beautiful climax, a really emotional instrumental passage. The song manages to capture the essence of the album, very atmospheric, sometimes gritty, sometimes beautiful, sometimes turbulent, sometimes calm. The atmosphere on the album is very heavy and dramatic and even in the mellow parts, there is an overwhelming pressure on the listener. The main theme in the music structure is that of progression, the listener is presented with a minimalistic riff and then listens to it progress patiently into something entierly different, and as it evolves, the layers of sound build upon each other before blossoming into climatic riffs.

The clash of styles is pretty interesting here, at times the hardcore/sludge roots of ISIS are apparent, while at other times it has a very metal sound to it and a very strong post rock feel. On Panopticon, ISIS manage to combine the strong elements of each of those genres; the emotional intensity of hardcore, the crushing riffs of metal and the beautiful and clear riffs of post rock without being confusing or cheesy, it all flows so naturally that the cross of genres becomes one of it's greatest strengths, it adds up to the musical depth of the album. The album is mostly instrumental, but has moments of both growling, and grunge-style vocals.

This album is without a doubt one of the very best album that I've heard, and it gets better every time I listen to it, and in my opinion stands among the very best progressive metal albums of all time.