Monday, August 15, 2011

Isis - Holy Tears EP (2008)

While "Holy Tears" would not have been the single I released if I were in the band, it's still a damn good song from an album full of standout tracks. This three song EP features the album version of "Holy Tears" as well as a Melvins/Lustmord remix of "Not in Rivers, But in Drops" and a live version of the titular track.

"Holy Tears" sounds as good as ever and really hammers home how great of an album In the Absence of Truth is, as this song wouldn't crack my top three from that record. If you've heard it on the album, you already know what you're in for here, and if you haven't heard it on the album, go fucking buy it. Seriously, it stands with Panopticon as one of the best albums Isis released.

The "Not in Rivers, But in Drops" remix manages to stay interesting while rearranging the structure of the song a bit. All of the force from the original is on display here with some additional hooks, courtesy of The Melvins and Lustmord. Fans of the original track will find a few surprises here and there that keep the track fresh while staying stylistically similar to the original.

The live version of "Holy Tears" sounds stupendous and showcases how great Isis's live shows could be. Oddly enough, I was at the show this recording is taken from, and it was nice to listen to this again after the full-length had dropped and everyone knew what the hell song this was, as this show preceded the release of In the Absence of Truth by a few weeks. Sometimes, bands take a while to get in to the swing of playing new stuff, but that is definitely not the case here as they tear it the fuck up. No one seemed to appreciate it though, at least from where I was sitting, which is unsurprising given that Tool was headlining, and Tool has the dumbest fans this side of Marilyn Manson.

Verdict: Win [8/10]
http://www.isistheband.com

No comments: