pacificlectic : concert reviews & eclectic music news

 FYI… PHOTOS of the SHOW at the BOTTOM

On May 18, 2010, post-metal powerhouse ISIS officially called it quits.  They did everything they wanted to do, and said everything they wanted to say… and this May & June tour would be their last.  It was a good run: 13 years and 5 brilliant studio albums.

The break-up news was deeply saddening news to the fans, but at least we get one last hurrah.

The show opened with Jakob (a three-piece from New Zealand).  They played a solid 40-minute set of instrumental post-rock.  They had heavy moments, but they were decidedly the “calmest” of the trio of bands last night.  They were really tight and created a great, building wall of sound.  Great for fans of a harder edged Explosions in the Sky.  Jakob’s debut, Solace, is out now.

Tombs (a four-piece from Brooklyn) were more in the metal category.  Guttural vocals, double kick drum blasts, but more building in their guitar sound compared to other metal fare (e.g.- similar to ISIS versus Slayer).  A great 40-minute onslaught to our ears.  Check out their album, Winterhours.

ISIS went on just before 11pm and came out hard and heavy… while both Jakob and Tombs were tight, it seemed as though things got kicked up a notch when Isis hit the stage.  The audience crowded the stage to be pummeled by the sweeping and soaring musical backbone amidst Aaron Turner’s powerful voice…

They played a hauntingly brutal mix from Wavering Radiant, In the Absence of Truth, and a few oldies thrown in as well.  There were a handful of moments of Aaron’s more melodic vocals, but that was few and far between… the show tended to show off Isis’s more pained vocal cuts.  They played about 90 minutes… 

Setlist: (thanks for corrections from a fellow fans)

• Deconstructing Towers
• Not In Rivers, But In Drops
• So Did We
• Threshold of Tranformation
• Ghost Key
• Collapse and Crush
• From Sinking
• Encore: In Fiction
• The Beginning and the End

It’s sad to see Isis end, but at least they are ending with a kick ass tour.  Also, if you go to one of the shows (see below), there is a TON of merch… they’ve brought about everything each member has ever been involved in.  I dropped some coin for the Japanese limited edition Panopticon, Oceanic, 7.23.06 live, and the Melvin split 12″ vinyl.  That was barely scratching the surface for this excellent “Isis Garage Sale.”

more photos below

The Appropriate Linkage:

• ISIS’ Site
• ISIS on MySpace
• Jakob on MySpace
• Tombs on MySpace
• The WOW Hall

Check out the final tour dates for ISIS below.

~Dan – np: Ellery – This Isn’t Over Yet
 

ISIS, Jakob & Tombs PHOTOS
all pictures (cc) 2010 Daniel Temmesfeld,
you may use freely under a creative commons attribution

(click for larger)

ISIS – 2010 TOUR DATES
May 26 2010 The Casbah w/ Jakob & Tombs San Diego, California, US
May 29 2010 Wow Hall w/ Jakob & Tombs Eugene, Oregon , US
May 31 2010 Rickshaw Theatre w/ Jakob & Tombs Vancouver, British Co, CA
Jun 1 2010 Neumo’s w/ Jakob & Tombs Seattle, Washington, US
Jun 2 2010 Doug Fir Lounge w/ Jakob & Tombs Portland, Oregon , US
Jun 4 2010 Great American Music Hall w/ Jakob & Tombs San Francisco, California, US
Jun 5 2010 The Troubadour w/ Jakob & Tombs Los Angeles, California, US
Jun 12 2010 Bonnaroo Festival W/ Clutch, Melvins, Flaming Lips, etc. Manchester, Tennessee , US
Jun 14 2010 40 Watt Club w/ Melvins Athens, Georgia , US
Jun 16 2010 9:30 Club w/Melvins Washington, Washington, US
Jun 17 2010 Theater Of Living Arts (TLA) w/ Melvins Philadelphia, Pennsylvan, US
Jun 18 2010 Webster Hall w/ Melvins New York, New York , US
Jun 19 2010 Music Hall Of Williamsburg w/ Melvins Brooklyn, New York , US
Jun 20 2010 Paradise Rock Club w/ Melvins Boston, Massachuse, US
Jun 21 2010 Paradise Rock Club w/ Melvins Boston, Massachuse, US
Jun 22 2010 Port City Music Hall w/ Cave In Portland, Maine , US
Jun 23 2010 Club Soda w/ Cave In Montreal, Quebec , CA