Search - Isis :: Mosquito Control

Out of Control.

IcemanJ | Ohio, USA | 10/13/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a great, super-raw, super-heavy EP (I think their first release besides the demo?). It is so much more chaotic then what Isis would eventually evolve into. If you have, say Oceanic and want to hear what a heavier, deadlier Isis would sound like, this is it.



The first song, "Poison Eggs" is one of the best Isis songs there is. It starts off with a very minimal melodic melody, slowly adds percussion and a strange radar-like noise for a while, slowly progresses, until the ultra-heavy guitar riffing chaos appears, and the enraged mosquito-king vocals erupt, shaking the hive to bits. These vocals are really rough, just like the music, but this song is great. It becomes even more frantic towards the end, and finally stops abruptly with a unique distorted radio frequency noise for a few seconds.



"Life Under the Swatter" has extremely fast riffing, as the mosquitoes dodge the furious exterminators and swarm around him and eat him alive. But if you look deeper you can still hear the subtle melodies and percussion that would later develop more into Isis' sound.



"Hive Destruction" starts off with a terrifying, yet softer melody and then guitars suddenly rip through it for an even more frightening sound. "Relocation Swarm" starts with a suspenseful percussion and then contains strange, close-by sounding vocals and samples that are adrenaline-pumping torture to the ears. This song really drags on after a while and after 7 minutes (it's almost 12 minutes long) it is just samples of screaming and droning guitar noises, this is why I gave it 4 stars.



If you're new to Isis, this is probably a BAD introduction to them. You might like their heavier side compared to their newer full-lengths, but in that case, you'll only really like this and the Red Sea, both 20-something minute EPs. Like I said already, if you already have their newer albums, this is great also but obviously very different. Isis have only begun to showcase their true aesthetic innovation.



PANOPTICON. October 19th 2004. It's right around the corner now and I have a feeling this will be their best album yet."

Well....

Shane Dignan | Livonia, MI, USA | 12/08/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is the heaviest recording you will ever hear in your entire life. Whether you like that sort of thing, well, that's up to you ;)Though this is actually remixed from the original release of this CD, I can guarantee that you will NEVER hear guitars heavier than on this record. EVER.If you have any of Isis' later stuff, this is quite a bit different; though people liken this to Neurosis, the vocals are more in the realm of grindcore (and much different than on Celestial or Oceanic), and the guitars are 10x heavier.Did I mention this is the heaviest CD you'll ever hear?I give it 4 out of 5 because, well, it's pretty one-dimensional and the songwriting isn't the greatest. Poison Eggs and Hive Destruction are pretty memorable, but the rest of the CD drones almost too much even for my tastes."