Review by Saxy S for Isis - Panopticon (2004)

Let me take you back to 2004, a year in which two monumental sludge metal albums came out, but took the genre in two very different directions. The first is Mastodon and their album Leviathan, one of the most accessible and universally legendary albums of the 2000s, perhaps even the entire 21st century at this moment. On the other side you have ISIS and Panopticon, an album that dives more into the post-metal and atmospheric sides of doom/sludge metal. Both albums are heralded as all time greats by those who have heard them, so this begs the question, who was more influential?

Well if we go from a mainstream point of view, that answer is Mastodon. They have been the flag bearers for modern metal in the 2000s and even followed up their 2004 album with one that is objectively better with Crack the Skye. ISIS are coming off of one great album with Oceanic and deliver atmospheric bliss.

As a result, their songs are long and drawn out as opposed to many of their contemporaries, making their music much less accessible, but influenced many great similar sounding post-metal bands later on, including The Ocean and Cult of Luna. But much like their step siblings in the black metal scene, ISIS are much more for creating an environment that is brimming with melodic ideas and phrases from the lead guitar, vocals, and even bass lines (on a track such as "Wills Dissolve")! I love how the album begins with "So Did We", an excellent indicator that this isn't going to be a dirge-fest. When "In Fiction" comes on later in the track listing, the vocals don't enter until about half way through, however the slow build to a release is pulled off so well. A true indicator that this group has been focused on creating anticipation, as well as re-routing the listener's expectations. 

Now when you have an album like this, where dynamics are key, it becomes integral for the production to sound really good, and this sounds excellent. The guitars always seem to draw albums like this back, specifically modulating from soft to loud. With this, the guitars sound full and gritty, without sounding like they have simply been turned up behind the mixing board. The drums are also sound very developed as well; like with the guitars, dynamic control from Aaron Harris is on complete display instead of feeling like simply being turned down by the producer later on.

I will say that like with many post-metal albums in a similar vein to this one, while the extended sections do sound nice and build up to some incredible highs, this album (and the individual tracks themselves) can get a little tiresome after a while. I really enjoy "In Fiction", but it is very easy to get lost in the extended intro as it builds in what feels like a snails pace. Also, I do wish that the group would have implemented Aaron's vocals more than they did; it would have made for some incredible payoffs on tracks such as "In Fiction" and "Altered Course".

I really do enjoy when heavy metal groups decide to take a pre-existing genre and add progressive/post-metal elements to it and Panopticon is just that. Although this would have been expected at the time considering the sky high expectations following Oceanic. There is a reason why this album is revered in the heavy metal community by those willing to take the dive in. This is an experience that should not be missed.