This isn't the first time the word 'Panopticon' is used in a blogpost. And I doubt it will be the last time. Because this is the name of my all-time favourite CD, released by the American band Isis in 2004. There once was a time in which I could safely write "I cannot tell you how many times I listened to this album", but iTunes kept track of that: 'So did we', the opening track, was played at least 114 times from my laptop. Add all the times I have been listening to Panopticon on the train, staring through the windows, or walking through the city, dreaming about other cities...
In case you pressed 'play', chances are that you pressed 'pause' as well - after roughly 15 seconds I presume? And yet: despite the brutal opening featuring Aaron Turner's harsh vocals, this track sums everything up there is to know and appreciate about Isis. Filed under the post-metal flag, they create long, epic tracks (mostly instrumental), combining melodic lead passages with heavily distorted outbursts, fusing eery guitar riffs with repetitive bass lines, blending intense emotions and musical craftsmanship into a massive landscape in which you - the listener - cannot do anything else but wander around and get lost. This description may sound quite abstract and maybe even somewhat grand or sumptuous - after all, I am writing about a CD - but I guess this is what Isis evokes in me. Even at this very moment, as I am listening to what iTunes officially recorded as the 115th time, I get overwhelmed by a strange feeling...
Just in case you're interested in more post-metal bands (good things are there to be shared, a philosophy which applies to more than cheese and beer), try one of the following: Pelican, Russian Circles, Red Sparowes, Neurosis, Amenra and so on.
Have a safe journey back!
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