Isis - Wavering Radiant (2009) [Ipecac] // Grade: B+

For the past decade or so, Isis have been one of the most consistent and challenging bands on the planet. The sort of band that categorizing them as anyone thing is not only challenging but takes away from everything they’re able to accomplish album to album.

Wavering Radiant is continues on a progression that was started on Oceanic and ends up right where In the Absence of Truth left off… polishing up some of those rougher edges in their career long pursuit in finding the balance between beauty & brutality. Wavering Radiant juxtaposes Isis’ trademark, dense and pummeling assault against the sort of textural melodies that for the first time scream of their own identity, just as easily as they are content with being part of a greater atmospheric tapestry.

The tension is thick on Wavering Radiant, the years of growth and refinement pushing and pulling until finally hitting the sort of creative crux whose intensity makes this not only Isis’ most accessible album, but one of their most rewarding ones as well.