In retrospect, it seems as though there must have been magic in the air 20 years ago when it comes to seminal metal albums. The thing is, after touring together in the aftermath of their brilliant breakthroughs, both ISIS and TOOL released a mighty follow-up to those landmark albums; the latter act practically solidified their quantum-prog template on “10,000 Days” after the absolute masterwork of “Lateralus,” and ISIS did exactly the same with their post-metal aesthetic on “In the Absence of Truth,” following their 2004 milestone album “Panopticon.” I already dissected that TOOL endeavor earlier this year, so this time I shall dive headlong into the magnificent spheres of that ISIS gem. Released on October 31st, 2006, on Ipecac Recordings, this fourth studio album by these American post-metal sages expanded on their signature sound, bringing clean vocals and even more intricate drum rhythms quite prominently into the mix. There were subtle hints of this new direction already on the split EP, entitled “In the Fishtank 14,” a collaboration with AEROGRAMME. It was released just about a month before this full treat, so for most of us, these novel elements came as a (more or less) nice surprise. That familiar slow-crushing post-metal ambience was still very much intact, even though some old-guard metal critics weren’t exactly thrilled with all this going-softer business. ISIS found a nice middle ground between TOOL and GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR with this album, and just like it is with these two acts, you either love it or hate it – there’s nothing in between. For me, “In the Absence of Truth” was the entry point not only into the music of ISIS but also into post-metal at large, so revisiting these tracks brings back lots of fond memories.
Even by the post-metal standard, “In the Absence of Truth” is a long album with its 65 minutes of runtime. Save for “All Out of Time, All into Space,” the songs are epic monsters with lengths ranging from 6 to 9 minutes. Then again, anything less would probably be rather inappropriate when we’re dealing with a “post”-something music. Then, I read once that this album was meant to be a concept endeavor, although I’m not so sure about what the actual concept was – our perception of reality, the delicate nature of the very thin line between illusion and reality, or something to that effect, most likely. The lyrics drew inspiration rather heavily from the writings of Persian mystic Hassan-i-Sabbah (even the album title was a quote often attributed to him), but also from prized novels, such as Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote, Mark Z. Danielewski’s House of Leaves, and Jorge Luis Borges’ Labyrinths – and even from the Bible. I reckon the radio-friendly 3-minute song format just wouldn’t do with an approach like this. For a relatively fresh TOOL fan in late 2006, and a longtime prog enthusiast, this exciting and epic new metal sound was the best damn thing since the advent of sliced bread.
The far less sludgy sound of the album, compared to “Panopticon” and “Oceanic,” could not have slipped by the band’s longtime fans unnoticed. I think this endeavor remains the least heavy selection in the band’s discography to this day (that split EP notwithstanding). I traced the band’s evolution back to those early monoliths much later, so for me, this haunting mixture of clean post-rock sections and progressively tinged post-metal onslaughts was interesting and exciting in and of itself, so I did not miss the heaviness. I still don’t. As much as I love those earlier albums, “In the Absence of Truth” stands out especially because of its softer approach. Some of these clean post-rock riffs have been accused of sounding a tad repetitive, but I reckon these critics have not really listened that much to post-rock in the first place. Besides, just when the said riffs are risking to outstay their welcome, the band throws in beefy metal riffage, a tempo change, or something else to keep things interesting. The dramatic arc on this album is remarkably unhurried, as per the conventions of the genre, I reckon. The pacing is outstanding, though.
I feel somewhat reluctant to single out the highlights of the album, since it is a journey that works best when you go from start to finish in one go. That said, a couple of these songs work rather nicely in isolation as well. I mean, when I put my iTunes library on shuffle and these bangers pop up, it always tempts me to put the songs on repeat. First, driven by a haunting tribal drum beat, “Dulcinea” could be the textbook example of a picture-perfect post-rock epic that flirts with heavier elements. It doesn’t even sound particularly metal per se, what with Aaron Turner opting mostly for clean chanting and all, but the odd harsh vocals and proggy drumming, courtesy of Aaron Harris, probably sounded way too unorthodox for the post-rock Puritans at the time. Then, “Holy Tears” harkens back to the sludgy ambience of the band’s past achievements, with the vocals alternating between clean and harsh. The ambient middle section makes the song every bit as mind-melting as the band’s early monolith songs, such as “Altered State.” The sound is somewhat lighter, but no less impressive. And speaking of softer nuances, “Firdous e Bareen” did come across as a bit obscure, electronica-infused instrumental track at first, but over the years, it has grown on me. It’s a nice cross between Brian Eno and TOOL, resonating with the air of those remixed versions of the songs from “Oceanic.” Lastly, we have the very song that lured me into the band’s magical circle in the first place – “Not in Rivers, but in Drops.” It was most likely the very song that tempted all the comparisons to TOOL back in the day, maybe even more than the instrumental track dissected above. This particular banger is progressive post-metal at its finest. Then again, I simply love the blend of post-rock crescendos and heavy sludge riffs in the closer, “Garden of Light,” as well. So, if I highlight every other song in the tracklist, I guess it’s safe to say that the band’s songcraft was pretty damn solid on this effort.
ISIS released only one studio album after this magnificent offering – “Wavering Radiant” in 2009 – before they made an announcement in 2010 that the band had simply run its course and had no creative juice left to continue. That swansong album turned out to be remarkably different in terms of sound and atmosphere, so “In the Absence of Truth” remains to this day as the band’s peculiar side-step into the softer realms of post-rock. I’m glad I decided to go when ISIS played in Helsinki in 2009, their last-ever gig in Finland, even though I was running a bit of a fever. Harris‘ crispy and proggy drumwork that characterized this album sounded even better live – and I guess I must have astral-projected into some multidimensional limbo because of my condition at the venue, because these songs have never sounded the same after that magical evening. Now that post-metal has not exactly been in vogue for some time, I think it’s high time we brought these magnificent old classics back to the limelight from the dusty archives of yesteryear. The thing is, these dusty old relics still rock!
Written by Jani Lehtinen
Tracklist
- Wrist of Kings
- Not in Rivers, but in Drops
- Dulcinea
- Over Root and Thorn
- 1000 Shards
- All Out of Time, All into Space
- Holy Tears
- Firdous e Bareen
- Garden of Light
Lineup
Aaron Turner – vocals, guitars
Bryant Clifford Meyer – guitars, electronics
Michael Gallagher – guitars
Aaron Harris – drums
Jeff Caxide – bass
Label
Ipecac Recordings
