Anemic Magazine - Review - 03/03/2004 |
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Artist: Isor Album: Post Mortem Peep Show Release Date: February 23rd, 2004 Label: Casket Music So it seems as though duos are the latest push from record companies. The White Stripes, The Black Keys, The Kills, The Mess Hall. Oh did you pick up the other aspect with this list of bands? The whole "the" concept! I'm not bothered, all these bands are in fact good, and hold a lot more substance in comparison with some of the other shit that gets slammed in our face these days. Isor aren't like the bunch mentioned above. For starters, they are not a blues band, far from it in fact. A duo belting out rhythms that your average four piece metal band would successfully do, this thrashing young duo out of Chester, England may have opened up a new door for the current metal scene. "Post Mortem Peep Show", the bands debut full-length is a journey of razor sharp metalcore, which only the patients at the local big house would be familiar with. How can a two-piece outfit belt out sounds that Isor manage to do? That question is almost unanswerable. The opening track 'Fakes Smiles & Friendship Trials' is a fair insight, as its subtle start is shoved aside for the brutal hard/screamocore aesthetics that will send one half of the psycho ward in liberation, the other half in complete terror. Angular guitars, brooding drumbeats and spruiked up melody are all spat out during the twists and turns of 'Coping With Your Ginger Secret', which poses as the albums shining point, while the slashing guitars and ear tearing vocals in 'Perfecting the Vegan Death Grip' are nothing short of vitriolic. Isor continue their metal multiplicity, with the tortuous howls in the ambiguously titled 'We are the People that Watch You Shower', as thrash and black metal aspects creep into the Isor sound catalogue. That's not to mention the weaving scuzzy guitars throughout 'My Best Friend Takes a 14 Round Magazine', which are nothing but attention grabbing and are bound to raise an eyebrow. The repugnance throughout this music will offend the best part of listeners, as the gut-wrenching vocals are likely to make your ears bleed, while the song titles are about as obscure as anything the Liars are likely to produce (hmm maybe not). "Post Mortem Peep Show" is an effort that delivers a fresh sound, which many other bands will try to pilfer in good time, I'm sure. For now though, the people of the metal community can kick back with their beer and enjoy their brand new toy, as the chaotic clamours that Isor so wilfully roll off their tongue and spit out are arguably the best new metal sounds to come out this year. 4/5 [Simon Kirk] Anemic Magazine - (Australia) www.anemicmagazine.com |
