Live VII

Last updated
Live VII
Live VII.jpg
Live album by
ReleasedMarch 31, 2017
RecordedFebruary 25, 2010
Venue Corner Hotel, Melbourne, Australia
Genre Post-metal, Sludge metal
Length78:28
Label Ipecac Recordings
Producer Isis
Isis chronology
Temporal
(2012)
Live VII
(2017)

Live VII is the seventh live album by post-metal band Isis, recorded at the Corner Hotel in Melbourne, Australia on February 25, 2010. [1] It was released as a digital download on March 31, 2017, and on limited-edition CD and vinyl through Ipecac. Live VII features material from Wavering Radiant , as well as select highlights from each of the band's other studio albums. [2]

Contents

Track listing

All tracks are written by Isis

No.TitleLength
1."Hall of the Dead"7:50
2."Hand of the Host"10:02
3."Holy Tears"7:32
4."20 Minutes / 40 Years"7:23
5."Ghost Key"8:30
6."Wills Dissolve"6:22
7."Threshold of Transformation"10:14
8."Carry"5:15
9."Celestial (The Tower)"15:20

[3]

Personnel

[4]

Reception

Live VII received positive reviews upon release. James Weiskittel of Soundblab gave the album a rating of 8/10, and stated "...for the overall sound of this release, there is just enough ambiance to let you know this is a live record, but otherwise, the quality of these recordings far exceeds your typical ‘from the mixing board’ affair … Live VII represents Isis at their peak; a potent reminder to fans that when the band decided to walk away, they did so at the top of their game." [5]

Morgan Y Evans, writing for Metal Riot, gave the album 5 stars and said "the Wavering Radiant stuff sounds positively alive on this release, the band’s excitement from this era palpable. The watery grandeur of the hypnotic opening to 'Ghost Key' is breathtaking and the rhythmic guitar parts really cut through on this version as the song progresses. The brief post-huge crescendo quiet ending of 'Threshold Of Transformation' is another stunning section … all in all this gets very high marks because it is not only so cool to hear more organic versions of 'Hall of the Dead' and a fit to exploding 'Holy Tears', but the simple breadth of what the band accomplishes and the ground covered here is far beyond the reach of most groups." [6]

In a review from the Outlaws of the Sun blog, Gavin Brown wrote "[Isis] were certainly equally at home on stage as they were in the studio and this live concert ( sic ), recorded in Melbourne in 2010, proves this beyond a shadow of a doubt … the sound is crystal clear and shows a band, despite being close to their splitting up, sounding absolutely immense with their sprawling sonic tales and as impressive as they are on record." Brown also stated that "The nine songs that they play here are epically recreated and demonstrates just how powerful [of] a live band they were..." [7]

Victoria Anderson of Ghost Cult Magazine gave Live VII a rating of 8.5/10, and said "Much like all ISIS live outings when they were active, each song flows effortlessly into the next creating a tapestry of mind altering realities … You come away from the album exhausted and pure. Live VII is an experience that you will not soon forget." [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Öyster Cult</span> American rock band

Blue Öyster Cult is an American rock band formed on Long Island in Stony Brook, New York, in 1967. The band has sold 25 million records worldwide, including 7 million in the United States. The band's fusion of hard rock with psychedelia, and penchant for occult, fantastical and tongue-in-cheek lyrics, had a major influence on heavy metal music. They developed a cult following and, while achieving mainstream hits like "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" (1976) and "Burnin' for You" (1981), their commercial success was limited. Both songs, and others such as "Godzilla" (1977), remain classic rock radio staples. The band were early adopters of the music video format, and their videos received heavy rotation on MTV in its early period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keelhaul (band)</span> American metal band

Keelhaul is a four-piece progressive mathcore/sludge metal band from Cleveland, Ohio. The members are Aaron Dallison, Dana Embrose (guitar), Will Scharf (drums), and Chris Smith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isis (band)</span> American post-metal band

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.

3, also known as Three, is an American progressive rock band formed in Woodstock, New York, United States, in the early 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Old Man Gloom</span> American extreme metal band

Old Man Gloom is an extreme metal band originally formed in Santa Fe, New Mexico, but now based in Massachusetts. The group, formed by Aaron Turner of Isis and Santos Montano, expanded to become a sort of supergroup in the Boston hardcore and metalcore scene.

<i>Oceanic</i> (Isis album) 2002 studio album by ISIS

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.

<i>Panopticon</i> (album) 2004 studio album by ISIS

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.

<i>Celestial</i> (Isis album) 2000 studio album by Isis

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.

<i>The Red Sea</i> (EP) 1999 EP by Isis

The Red Sea is an EP by Isis. An expansion of the sound pioneered on their previous release Mosquito Control, this EP offers a slight evolution toward the direction Isis would begin to take with their first full length, Celestial. The three songs which make up the original EP are tied together with spoken word samples from the short-lived television series Hotel Room. The song "Ochre" contains a sample from the film Dead Man by Jim Jarmusch, and is a reading of a portion of William Blake's poem "Auguries of Innocence".

Post-metal is a music genre rooted in heavy metal but exploring approaches beyond metal conventions. It emerged in the 1990s with bands such as Neurosis and Godflesh, who transformed metal texture through experimental composition. In a way similar to the predecessor genres post-rock and post-hardcore, post-metal offsets the darkness and intensity of extreme metal with an emphasis on atmosphere, emotion, and even "revelation", developing an expansive but introspective sound variously imbued with elements of ambient, noise, psychedelic, progressive, and classical music, and often shoegaze and art rock. Songs are typically long, with loose and layered structures that discard the verse–chorus form in favor of crescendos and repeating themes. The sound centres on guitars and drums, while any vocals are usually screamed or growled and resemble an additional instrument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Volbeat</span> Danish rock band

Volbeat are a Danish rock band formed in Copenhagen in 2001. They play a fusion of rock and roll and heavy metal. Their current line-up consists of vocalist and rhythm guitarist Michael Poulsen, drummer Jon Larsen, and bassist Kaspar Boye Larsen. The band is signed to Dutch label Mascot Records and has released eight studio albums and one DVD. Their second album Rock the Rebel/Metal the Devil received platinum status, and their 2010 release Beyond Hell/Above Heaven was subject to widespread international critical acclaim, receiving triple platinum in Denmark and Austria, double platinum in Sweden, platinum in Canada, 5x Gold in Germany, and gold in Finland and the United States. Volbeat's most recent studio album, Servant of the Mind, was released in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aaron Turner</span> American musician (born 1977)

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isis discography</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Caxide</span> American bassist

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.

<i>Wavering Radiant</i> 2009 studio album by ISIS

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.

<i>Live VI</i> 2012 live album by Isis

Live VI is the sixth live release by post-metal band Isis, recorded at the Hawthorne Theatre in Portland, Oregon on November 16, 2007. It was released as a digital download on February 14, 2012, and on limited-edition vinyl through the band's online store. It is notable for being the first album announced and released by the band since their 2010 dissolution.

<i>Temporal</i> (Isis album) 2012 compilation album by Isis

Temporal is a compilation album by American post-metal band Isis, containing various demo recordings, unreleased tracks and remixes from throughout the band's history. It was released on November 6, 2012, by Ipecac. The compilation includes demos and alternate versions of songs from Oceanic, Panopticon and Wavering Radiant. It also features songs originally from Sawblade EP and Melvins / Isis. The compilation also includes a DVD of all the band's music videos.

<i>The Resilient</i> 2017 studio album by Betraying the Martyrs

The Resilient is the third studio album by French metalcore band Betraying the Martyrs. It was released on 27 January 2017 through Sumerian Records and was produced by Justin Hill. It is the band's first release with drummer Boris le Gal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Astronoid</span>

Astronoid is a post-metal band from Lowell, Massachusetts, formed in 2012. Started by vocalist Brett Boland and bassist Daniel Schwartz, the current lineup includes Boland, Schwartz, guitarist Casey Aylward, and drummer Matt St. Jean. They have released two extended plays, November (2012) and Stargazer (2013), and three studio albums, Air (2016), the eponymous Astronoid (2019) and Radiant Bloom (2022).

<i>Fragments of Uniforms</i> 2013 studio album by Pet Slimmers of the Year

Fragments of Uniforms is the debut full-length album by English post-metal/post-rock band Pet Slimmers of the Year. It was originally released by Anchor Music on compact disc on 31 October 2013; it was later re-issued by Candlelight Records on compact disc and digitally on 14 April 2014, and on 6 May 2014 ; and by Back on Black Records on double 12-inch vinyl on 23 June 2014.

References