Isis - Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club, 3/08/07: SHOW REVIEW

I went to see Isis play last Thursday at The 40 Watt Club in Athens, GA, unfortunately it was sans Jesu (they still hadn't secured a work visa by this point, arghhhh!!!). I hadn't seen them live before (unless you count watching their "Clearing The Eye" DVD), but I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. They played songs from the last three albums, but mostly from their latest "In The Absence of Truth". One thing that grabbed me about their live set (other than the tight-as-fuck musicianship), was how Aaron lurched and moved, completely engrossed in his music. He even made the more melodic down tempo parts seem to be absolutely thunderous with his aggressive head banging & full body swerving. It is always so awesome to see musicians become completely entranced and emerged in their performance. This is the kind of shit that sucks me in and shakes me up...fuck yeah!! Although they didn't play my two favorite Isis tunes ("Carry", "So Did We"), they did play "False Light" & "Dulcinea", both of which had me reeling. Some of my friends say they hear a Tool influence in their latest album, which until I saw them live, I didn't quite hear. I did pick it out mainly in the drumming, which definitely has become very tribal...but overall I think they've created their own sound. Really standing out in a huge ocean of post-rock, doom metal...staying in front of a genre, that in my opinion, they helped create and in many ways, reinvent. This show: a head-banging thumbs up. (I really got to get my ass in gear and bring my fuckin' camera, the pic is not mine, again!)