Celestial | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | April 3, 2000 | |||
Recorded | January–February 2000 | |||
Genre | Post-metal, [1] sludge metal [2] [3] | |||
Length | 51:58 | |||
Label | Escape Artist (EA07.0) Hydra Head (HH666-59) Ipecac (reissue) (IPC-145) | |||
Producer | Isis, Matt Bayles | |||
Isis chronology | ||||
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Re-release cover | ||||
Celestial is the debut album by American post-metal band Isis, released in 2000 by Escape Artist and Hydra Head Records. It is their third "official" solo release and first full length.
A year later, Isis released SGNL>05 , an EP designed to act as an extension to Celestial; its tracks were all directly culled from the Celestial recording sessions. [4] Frontman Aaron Turner describes them as being “part of the same whole”, separated from each other because releasing a double album for the group's first full-length may have been overbearing for listeners. [5]
In addition to the regular CD and vinyl LP editions, Celestial is available in a double release, coupled with its sister EP, SGNL>05. On June 5, 2013, it was announced that Celestial would be re-issued by Ipecac Recordings with new artwork from Turner, as well as the audio having been recently remastered by James Plotkin. [6]
Turner has acknowledged that the album deals with the erosion of privacy as technology advances, in a similar vein to 2004's Panopticon ; however, he states that the theme is dealt with in a “more primitive way” on Celestial. [7] Towers are described as ‘thematic’ material by Decibel's Joe Gross. [8]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [9] |
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal | 7/10 [10] |
Exclaim! | 8/10 [11] |
The Line of Best Fit | 8.5/10 [12] |
Metal Hammer | [13] |
Mondo Sonoro | 9/10 [14] |
OndaRock | 6.5/10 [15] |
PopMatters | 7/10 [16] |
Stylus Magazine | A [17] |
Celestial was named the 53rd-finest metal record of the decade by Decibel , stating that "it's seen as a transitional record between the band's early work and the post-metal benchmarks such as Oceanic, but Celestial holds up in ways different from their later work [...] the elements of the greatness are present, but rawer, more direct." [8] Rock Sound placed it at #3 in their rundown of their top albums of 2001 [18] and Metal Hammer named it one of the 20 best metal albums of 2000. [19] In 2011, William York, writing for AllMusic, described the album as Isis' best, and argues that the record needs to be “given time” – that it eventually develops an “almost epic feel”. [9]
All tracks are written by Isis
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "SGNL>01" | 0:55 |
2. | "Celestial (The Tower)" | 9:42 |
3. | "Glisten" | 6:35 |
4. | "Swarm Reigns (Down)" | 6:02 |
5. | "SGNL>02" | 0:51 |
6. | "Deconstructing Towers" | 7:30 |
7. | "SGNL>03" | 0:35 |
8. | "Collapse and Crush" | 5:55 |
9. | "C.F.T. (New Circuitry and Continued Evolution)" | 5:43 |
10. | "Gentle Time" | 7:02 |
11. | "SGNL>04 (End Transmission)" | 1:07 |
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Necroticism – Descanting the Insalubrious is the third album by British extreme metal band Carcass. It was released on 30 October 1991 through Earache Records. This album is the first to feature guitarist Michael Amott and marked the first time Carcass had recorded as a four-piece. Many of the tracks describe economical ways to dispose of dead bodies. Necroticism continues the move towards a predominant death metal sound which was started in Symphonies of Sickness, featuring songs with longer sections and complex structures, more akin to the then-burgeoning technical death metal subgenre.
Slaughter of the Soul is the fourth studio album by Swedish melodic death metal band At the Gates, released on 14 November 1995 by Earache Records. It was their last album before their eleven-year breakup from 1996 to 2007. Slaughter of the Soul is considered a landmark in melodic death metal and played a major role in popularizing the Gothenburg scene, alongside The Jester Race by In Flames and The Gallery by Dark Tranquillity. The album was recorded and mixed in Studio Fredman, early 1995.
Isis was an American post-metal band formed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1997 by guitarist and vocalist Aaron Turner, bassist Jeff Caxide, vocalist and electronic instrumentalist Chris Mereschuk and drummer Aaron Harris. After a demo and the EP Mosquito Control were recorded by the original lineup, Mereschuk was replaced by Jay Randall in 1999, who joined the group alongside guitarist Michael Gallagher. Jay Randall would later be replaced by guitarist and keyboardist Bryant Clifford Meyer after the recording of Red Sea. With roots in hardcore punk and doom metal, the band borrowed from and helped to evolve the post-metal sound pioneered by bands such as Neurosis and Godflesh, characterized by lengthy songs focusing on repetition and evolution of structure. Isis disbanded in June 2010, just before the release of a split EP with the Melvins, reforming only once in 2018 as Celestial for a one-off show to pay tribute to Caleb Scofield.
Oceanic is the second full-length album by American post-metal band ISIS, released on September 17, 2002, by Ipecac Recordings. On November 4, 2014, a remastered edition was released via Hydrahead/Ipecac Recordings. Since its release, Oceanic has received critical acclaim and has been regarded as a masterpiece.
Panopticon is the third full-length album by Los Angeles, California based post-metal band ISIS, released by Ipecac Recordings in 2004. The album's title is derived from philosopher Jeremy Bentham's panopticon prison ideal and philosopher/historian Michel Foucault's later allegorical appropriation of the concept. The liner notes also include quotes from technology writer Howard Rheingold and futurist Alex Steffen; as a concept album, Panopticon's focus is on the proliferation of surveillance technologies throughout modern society and the government's role in that spread.
SGNL›05 is an EP released by Isis which acts as an extension to their earlier full-length album Celestial, as the tracks were all directly culled from the Celestial recording sessions. Frontman Aaron Turner describes them as being “part of the same whole”, separated from each other because releasing a double album for the group's first full-length may have been overbearing for listeners.
The Mosquito Control EP is the first studio release by American post-metal band Isis, released in 1998 by Escape Artist. The piece runs fluently through all 29 minutes, and all four songs are linked through consistent bouts of chaos and lyrics glued by the metaphor of using mosquitoes as a symbol for mankind, society, and population control.
Streetcleaner is the debut studio album by English industrial metal band Godflesh. It was released on 13 November 1989 through Earache Records and was reissued with a second disc of previously unreleased material on 21 June 2010. The album is widely acclaimed by critics and is often cited as a landmark release in industrial metal; though not the genre's first release, Streetcleaner helped define what industrial metal would become.
Pure is the second studio album by English industrial metal band Godflesh. It was released on 13 April 1992 through Earache Records. Though originally labeled only as industrial metal, the album has since been recognised as one of the earliest post-metal releases. Musically, Pure is rhythmically mechanical and features harsh guitars, with protracted songs and an abundance of deliberate repetition. Like much of Godflesh's music, it is regarded as particularly heavy and aggressive, and these elements helped it gain critical acclaim.
Hymns is the sixth studio album by English industrial metal band Godflesh. It was released on 23 October 2001 through Music for Nations and was the band's final album before breaking up in 2002. In 2010, Godflesh reformed and in 2014 released their comeback album A World Lit Only by Fire. Hymns had a troubled production and was intended to be distinct departure from Godflesh's intensely regimented industrial sound to something more traditionally hard rock. It was the band's second and final album to feature a live drummer rather than a drum machine.
In the Absence of Truth is the fourth full-length studio album by American post-metal band ISIS, released by Ipecac Recordings on October 31, 2006. The vinyl release was handled by Conspiracy Records.
Souls at Zero is the third studio album by the American post-metal band Neurosis. It was released in 1992 by the Alternative Tentacles record label. It was reissued in 1999 with bonus tracks on the band's own Neurot Recordings label. On February 15, 2010, the album was reissued on CD and digitally with new artwork by Neurot. On February 14, 2012, a fully remastered version was released on vinyl by Relapse Records. The album was inducted into Decibel Magazine's Hall of Fame in August 2016.
Slip is the debut studio album by American post-hardcore band Quicksand, released on February 9, 1993, through Polydor Records. "Omission" and "Unfulfilled" first appeared on their 1990 self-titled EP. Slip was well received by music critics and is now considered a classic in the post-hardcore and alternative metal genres, influencing many acts including Torche and Deftones.
Aaron Turner is an American musician, singer, graphic artist, and founder of label Hydra Head Records. He is most widely known for his role as guitarist and vocalist for the post-metal bands SUMAC and Isis, while also participating in several other bands and projects such as Old Man Gloom, Lotus Eaters and Split Cranium, a collaboration with Jussi Lehtisalo of Finnish band Circle who toured with Isis in 2009.
Isis was an American post-metal band, active from 1997 until their disbandment in 2010. They released five full-length albums, five extended plays (EPs), seven live albums, two singles, and have collaborated with other artists on numerous other projects.
Jeff Caxide is an American bassist, best known for his time with post-metal band Isis, of which he was a founding member and present until its dissolution in 2010. He was also a founding member of Red Sparowes, but left after the release of their first full-length. He also contributed to side-project Spylacopa. Prior to his time in Isis, he was a touring member of the Boston metalcore band 454 Big Block. He also helped found Connecticut-based metalcore band Cable, for whom he played bass. His stay with the band as a musician was brief, but he did return in order to produce 1999's Gutter Queen.
Aaron Harris is an American musician and composer, best known for his career as the drummer for Los Angeles–based post-metal band Isis. He was with the band from its inception in 1997 to its dissolution in 2010. Since Isis' demise, Harris has become increasingly involved in his career as a composer and producer. His composing work has appeared in projects for A24, Warner Bros., Universal, Disney, Lionsgate, Netflix, NBC, Red Bull and Samsung, among others. As a producer Harris has also worked on records for Palms, Puscifer, Team Sleep, Pelican, Zozobra, Spotlights, Huey, Jakob, The Jezabels and more.
Michael Gallagher is an American guitarist, best known for his work with post-metal band Isis. He joined them in 1999 for their debut LP Celestial, having previously been a member of Cast Iron Hike. He has an ambient project known as MGR ; under this moniker he has released two albums and scored one film.
Bryant Clifford Meyer is a keyboardist, guitarist and vocalist, best known for his tenure with Los Angeles, California-based post-metal band Isis. He was with the band since its debut full-length, Celestial, in 2000. Previously, he was a formative member of Boston-based rock band The Gersch. He is also a member of post-rock side projects Red Sparowes, Windmills by the Ocean and a solo project named Taiga.
Wavering Radiant is the fifth and final full-length album by American post-metal group Isis, released by Ipecac Recordings in 2009 and produced by Joe Barresi. The band split just over a year after its release. The album continues Isis' history of lengthy songwriting, yet presents a slight departure from the soft-loud dynamics and post-metal aesthetic which characterized previous releases.
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