Isis (band) - Genre

Genre

Turner cites Swans, Melvins, Tool, Godflesh, and Neurosis as influences to Isis' sound, saying "those bands laid the groundwork for us we're part of a recognizable lineage." Early releases were derided as imitative of predecessors Neurosis, and he admits that the comparisons weren't "completely unjustified". However, material since (and including) Oceanic has not been so often likened to Neurosis; in fact, it has become the case that it is Isis who are being imitated in a burgeoning post-metal scene.

In terms of categorisation, Isis have been described as post-rock, a genre which leans away from the traditional elements of choruses, verses, repetitive vocals, or fast riffing – what Turner describes as "guitar theatrics." However, post-rock has what is essentially a halcyon sound: one devoid of aggressive vocals and distorted guitars. Isis, however, have hardcore/sludge origins (especially in their pre-Celestial era) and hardcore-like vocals. Their music includes elements of hardcore, drone, sludge, indie, ambient music, and post-rock; yet none of these labels defines their sound fully. Critic Dan Epstein notes that "though originally lumped in with the hardcore and doom-metal scenes, the band has long since transcended the musical boundaries of those genres". However, their ongoing acceptance within the pantheon of hardcore music is attested to by Converge's Jacob Bannon, who has gone on record saying that "if I wanna listen to emotional music which I guess is contemporary I'll listen to Isis or something like that - something that is emotional, powerful music."

Turner, when asked to define Isis, described their sound as "avant-garde, drone-oriented rock, but that doesn't completely cover the bases". At the same time, he is reticent about settling on one label exclusively, and steers away from the use of specific genre labels – "'heavy, atmospheric, droning, post-epic, post-metal, shoegazer blah blah blah.'" When asked how he reacts to being asked to define Isis' sound, he admits "I never know what to say. I'm almost afraid of perpetuating a new tag." Likewise, he also describes their music using a slightly more open-ended tag: as "thinking man's metal"; however, this tag refers to the intellectual elements behind the music, as opposed to exclusively aural ones.

Due to the difficulty in pigeonholing, some fans and critics label Isis as post-metal. This genre is accepted to contain similar-sounding contemporaries such as Pelican, Cult of Luna and Callisto; however, Isis are often credited with the formulation of the genre with the release of Oceanic.

The music of Isis is not suitable for mainstream release or commercial radio playtime due to extensive song length and niche appeal; as guitarist Michael Gallagher states, "we've never tried to be on the radio, and we've never tried to please others. We've simply done whatever we've wanted to do, and we've all decided to be happy with the results."