ISIS
Wavering Radiant
Ipecac Recordings
10/10
Considering the way this band’s general sound has discreetly evolved over the span of their career, leading up to their 2006 melodic masterpiece In the Absence of Truth, I was cynically unprepared to enjoy Wavering Radiant nearly as much as I do (that’s not to say I expected it to suck – I generally trust anything these guys spit out). I think this is their best, most mature album to date. It comes off as a more structured piece, flowing together nicely from beginning to end in a way that leaves you wanting to hit the repeat button and indulge in that continuous loop of clean and strangely upbeat ambient music mixed with sludgy, grumbling (at times) vocals. It’s as edgy and flush as it is content-ingly aqueous and polished; shaping a brilliantly composed album that satisfies all around. I dig it, hardcore.
–Kim Worpeck