Tag Archives: Isis

Generic “bands that have supported Tool” update

Posted on by
22

I’ve noticed a few interesting happenings in regards to bands that have supported Tool over the years, and today I shall compile them into one handy post for you all to enjoy.

Firstly, not only are the Melvins touring with Unsane, but it appears they are recording something.  A new album I guess.  Seems not all that long ago they released the last one, but I always welcome a new Melvins album!

Someone was bugging me about the Mastodon/Opeth tour the other day, and yes, they are touring together in the US.  Here are some dates:

  • 04/04 – Portland, ME – State Theater (M)
  • 04/05 – Boston, MA – Orpheum Theater (O)
  • 04/06 – Montreal, QC – Metropolis (O)
  • 04/07 – Toronto, ON – Sony Centre (O)
  • 04/09 – Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory(M)
  • 04/10 – Wallingford, CT – The Dome (M)
  • 04/11 – New York, NY – Roseland Ballroom (M)
  • 04/13 – Chicago, IL – Riviera Theatre(M)
  • 04/14 – Grand Rapids, MI – The Intersection (M)
  • 04/15 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE (M)
  • 04/16 – Knoxville, TN – TN Theater (O)
  • 04/18 – Oklahoma City, OK – Diamond Ballroom (M)
  • 04/19 – Dallas, TX – Palladium Ballroom (O)
  • 04/20 – San Antonio, TX – Back Stage Live (O)
  • 04/21 – Corpus Christi, TX – Concrete Street (O)
  • 04/23 – Denver, CO – Fillmore Auditorium (O)
  • 04/25 – Las Vegas, NV – House of Blues (M)
  • 04/26 – Los Angeles, CA – Gibson Amphitheatre (O)
  • 04/27 – Oakland, CA – Fox Theatre (O)
  • 04/28 – Reno, NV – Grand Sierra Resort (M)
  • 04/30 – Seattle, WA – The Paramount (O)
  • 05/01 – Vancouver, BC – Orpheum Theatre (O)
  • 05/03 – Edmonton, AB – Edmonton Events Center (O)
  • 05/04 – Calgary, AB – MacEwan Hall (M)
  • 05/05 – Saskatoon, SK – The Odeon (O)
  • 05/06 – Winnipeg, MB – Burton Cummings Theatre (O)
  • 05/09 – Washington, DC – The Fillmore (O)
  • 05/10 – Charlotte, NC – The Fillmore (M)
  • 05/11 – Myrtle Beach, SC – House of Blues (M)
  • 05/12 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade Music Park (M)

They will be sharing the headlining slot, and the little O’s and M’s can help you determine who will be headlining on what night.  Aussies can look forward to some Mastodon shows later this month!

I did a quick Google search on some other support acts for you, and came up with the following:

  • Tweak Bird & Dalek don’t seem to be doing much.
  • Jakob have been recording (with Aaron Harris of ISIS I believe) and hope to have something out in April.
  • Speaking of ISIS, they may or may not have broken up, who really knows!  All I know is I accidentally trolled Aaron’s Facebook page thinking it was someone else!
  • As previously noted Meshuggah are doing a few tours, and are also putting an album out shorty.
  • Tomahawk are supposedly recording very soon (February is what I heard).

And that’s about all I could come up with.  Enjoy your weekend!

Update: Since you can’t keep a good thread down:

  • Wovenhand don’t seem to be doing much, but have a date in Denver in March
  • Melt Banana seems to be playing some shows in Japan, having toured the US last year.

August Updates

Posted on by
19

Here’s a bunch of news updates and things I’ve picked up of the last month but haven’t quite been motivated enough to create a new post for.

In case you missed it, Justin Chancellor will be appearing on a couple of tracks on the new Intronaut album Valley of Smoke.  The album will be released on the 12th of October so Rodney tells me.  No word on what Justin plays on but on track can be streamed on their Myspace site.

The X-Files/30 Days of Night issue #2 should be, or is very close to released now, and a review if can be found here.

Aaron Harris from Isis got married last weekend.  Several Tool members were in attendance so I heard, and according to Blair one of the wedding presents was a Danny Carey Signature Drum!  Congratulations to Aaron and Alexandra!

Maynard has a short interview in the latest issue of Relix Magazine, where he is featured in the Parting Shots section.  I haven’t read it but apparently the interview is largely about wine and doesn’t feature any real music news.  Thanks to Rick for that.

Isis No More…

Posted on by
31

According to a recent post on the ISIS website, they have decided to call it a day:

ISIS has reached an end. It’s hard to try to say it in any delicate way, and it is a truth that is best spoken plainly. This end isn’t something that occurred over night and it hasn’t been brought about by a single cataclysmic fracture in the band. Simply put, ISIS has done everything we wanted to do, said everything we wanted to say. In the interest of preserving the love we have of this band, for each other, for the music made and for all the people who have continually supported us it is time to bring it to a close. We’ve seen too many bands push past the point of a dignified death and we all promised one another early on in the life of the band that we would do our best to ensure ISIS would never fall victim to thiat syndrome. We’ve had a much longer run than we ever expected we would and accomplished a great deal more than we ever imagined possible. We never set any goals in the beginning other than to make the music we wanted to hear and to play and to stay true to that ideal, so everything else that has come along the long and winding path has been an absolute gift. As with any momentous life changing decision (which this certainly is for the 5 of us), we feel a very dynamic range of emotions about this and cannot express all of this within the space of a few sentences, and perhaps it’s best to do what we’ve always done in and let our music speak for us. It is and has been the truest expression of who we are as a collective and in some ways who we are as individuals for the 13 years in which we’ve been together. The last and perhaps most important thing we might say in relation to all this is how grateful we are for the people that have supported us over the years. It is a lengthy list that would include those who put out our records, those that played on and them and put them to tape, the many bands with whom we shared the stage, all of our family, friends and companions who supported us in our individual lives and thus made it possible for us to continue on in the band, and most importantly those that truly listened to our music whether in recorded form or by coming to out to our shows or both. It is quite true that we would never have done what we have without those people, that is many of you who are reading this. Our words can never fully express what we feel, but we hope that our music and the efforts made to bring it into being can serve as a more proper expression of gratitude for this life and for everyone in it. Thank you. 

In more immediate and practical terms the tour we are about to embark upon is indeed our last. We are hoping that these final live rituals can help us bring a close to the life of this band in a celebratory and reverent way and also provide us with a chance to say goodbye to many of those that have supported us over the years. While there is a measure of sadness that comes with the passing of this band, we hope that the final days can be joyous ones during which any and all that wish to come and join us will do so. It seems fitting that the last show of the tour and of our existence will take place in Montreal, the site of the very first ISIS show in 1997 though that was an unintentional  move when booking the show initially. After the tour we also plan to follow through with other projects set in motion some time ago, that is pursuing the completion of a final EP, compiling live audio and visual material for future releases, and generally doing whatever we can to make our music available for as long as there are people who wish to hear it. 

Thanks again to any and all,
ISIS, May 18, 2010

Thanks for the memories guys, I’m a little sad I never got to see you play in a smaller venue!

The Melvins/ISIS Split Details

Posted on by
7

Aaron Harris from ISIS twittered today a couple of details from the upcoming ISIS/Melvins split on Hydrahead.  According to the pics the track are:

ISIS:

  • Way Through Woven Branches
  • Pliable Foe

The Melvins:

  • Pig House (alt version)
  • I’ll Finish You Off (alt version)

The Isis Tracks are from the Wavering Radiant sessions, while The Melvins tracks seem to be versions of songs from their forthcoming album The Bride Screamed Murder.

Here’s some artwork for you to enjoy!

photo

 photo_2

 photo_3

Soundwave 2010

Posted on by
11

I’ve been looking forward to Soundwave 2010 for quite a while now.  Not only were one of my favorite bands Faith No More reuniting, but it also featured several other favorites of mine, including Tool touring buddies Meshuggah and Isis.  Forecast for the day was originally in the high 30s, but thankfully this didn’t turn out to be the case – it was a beautiful Adelaide day in the end!

After entering the festival, the first thing we noticed was the increased size.  It looked like there was about twice as much room as last year, which was great!  The crowd seemed noticeably larger as well.  Hopefully this is as big as it will get in Adelaide, as I think overly large festivals aren’t quite as good.

We headed over to the Metal Stage (#4) to check out the first band on my list – Baroness.  The metal stage was inside basically an large circus tent, so I need not stand in the sun all day!  Baroness were playing their usual brand of Stoner Rock/Metal, and while they were ok, they didn’t really blow me away.

After a short change came sludge metallers Isis.  I’d been looking forward to them, especially as I felt their last album was quite good.  They played a total of 4 songs (they had a 40 minute set) all from Wavering Radiant.  They played them quite well, and were actually more animated on stage than I expected, however they just lacked something.  It was a little quiet, and I couldn’t help but feel that they weren’t really suited to this kind of environment.  If they come back and play in a local club I’ll check them out, and see if that makes a difference.

Clutch came on next, and they were the first big surprise of the day for me.  I am somewhat familiar with their recorded work, and quite frankly was blown away as to how well they played live.  Their singer was a barrel of energy, and the drummer is one of the better I’ve seen in a while.  Great shit and I’ll definitely check them out again if they tour in the future.

80s metal band Anvil followed Clutch, and once again I was surprised.  These guys seemed to be genuinely happy to be playing the show, and the front mans energy was really good.  The songs were somewhat generic, and the vocals sub par, but it was a great show, featuring some great drumming and a vibrator solo!

Following Anvil were the mighty Meshuggah.  I knew these guys would be good, and they didn’t disappoint.  I spent most of the set in the moshpit, and it was a blast.  They played a set heavy on obZen songs, which was slightly disappointing, but I loved it regardless.  Combustion was a highlight, as well as the set closer Future Breed Machine.  My friends commented that the sound was crap (and it was if you stood anywhere but directly in front) but in the moshpit it was brutal!  These guys are definitely one of the best live metal bands out there, and I will be seeing them every opportunity I get.  I recommend you all do the same.

Anthrax are a bit of a blast from the past, and they were up after Meshuggah.  Once again I was quite happy with how they performed.  They seemed to play a range of songs, mainly older stuff, and while I’m not all that familiar with their work, I was thoroughly entertained!   Caught In A Mosh was great fun…

We walked over to the main stage next (via the bar and food area) to check out the end of Janes Addiction‘s set.  While not as good as when I saw them last, they did seem to be having fun on stage, despite the stage facing directly into the setting sun!  They weren’t as good as I remember them being 10 years ago, which is no great surprise I guess, but it was fun regardless.  What stands out most to me was a great version of the epic Three Days  Jimmy Eat World followed JA, and I don’t really have anything nice to say about them so I won’t…

The headline act were next!  Faith No More came onto stage in a range of pastel suits, and started with a cover of Reunited.  As I expected, they kick some serious ass.  It’s been well over 10 years since I saw them last, and in now way have they lost any of their chops.  The energy and stage presence is something that many of the other bands on the festival should take note of.

Highlights of the set include The Gentle Art of Making Enemies, Surprise! You’re Dead and Patton telling us his "penis smelled like wombat".  The only disappointment was that there wasn’t a great deal of crowd interaction like there has been at other FNM sets, but the music more than made up for it.

Overall it was a fantastic day.  Adelaide truly is one of the best Soundwave’s in the country, as we don’t seem to be plagued by the problems of that larger ones.  The fact we got nice weather helped as well.  I’m looking forward to 2011 already!

Melvins Tour Details, Album Art

Posted on by
Reply

According to an article on Limewire, the forthcoming Melvins tour will include dates with Isis, and for those shows without Isis, the Melvins will play two sets.  Not sure which one I’d be more interested in to be honest:

The Melvins may have just recently had their 25th band birthday, but they’re showing no signs of slowing down. They’ll be supporting The Bride Screamed Murderall over the country in June and July, sharing bills with alt-metallists ISIS and Totimoshi, including an appearance at Bonnaroo, so there are plenty of chances for you to get Melvined this summer.

June 1     San Diego, CA     Casbah
June 2     Tempe, AZ     The Clubhouse
June 3     Albuquerque, NM     The Launchpad
June 5     Austin, TX     Emo’s
June 7     Houston, TX     Warehouse Live
June 8     Baton Rouge, LA     Spanish Moon
June 9     New Orleans, LA     One Eyed Jacks
June 10     Birmingham, AL     Bottle Tree
June 12     Manchester, TN     Bonnaroo Festival **
June 14     Athens, GA     40 Watt Club *
June 16     Washington, DC     9:30 Club *
June 17     Philadelphia, PA     TLA *
June 18     New York, NY     Webster Hall *
June 19     Brooklyn, NY     Music Hall of Williamsburg *
June 20     Boston, MA     Paradise *
June 21     Boston, MA     Paradise *
June 23     Cleveland, OH     Grog Shop
June 24     Detroit, MI     Small’s
June 25     Chicago, IL     Double Door
June 26     Madison, WI     High Noon Saloon
June 27     Des Moines, IA     House of Bricks
June 29     Denver, CO     Ogden Theatre
July 2     Calgary, AB     Sled Island Festival +
July 3     Calgary, AB     Sled Island Festival +
July 5     Vancouver, BC     Rickshaw Theatre
July 6     Seattle, WA     Showbox at The Market
July 7     Eugene, OR     John Henry’s
July 9     San Jose, CA     Blank Club

All dates feature Melvins (2 sets) w/Totimoshi except:

* = Melvins/ISIS/Totimoshi
** = Melvins/ISIS
+ = Melvins

The cover for the new album The Bride Screamed Murder has also been revealed:

Before you ask apparently it’s not a joke.

Isis announce Sidewaves

Posted on by
3

We’ve know for a couple of months now that Isis are touring Australia as part of the Soundwave Festival in February 2010.  Today the band announced that they will be playing a series of sideshows on the East Coast:

  • February 18th Brisbane @ The Hi-Fi
  • February 23rd Sydney @ Manning Bar
  • February 25th Melbourne @ The Corner Hotel

For those that missed it, they are also playing shows in Auckland and Wellington for our comrades across the Tasman.   Apparently Baroness are supporting them in Japan following these dates, so I’d say there’s a good chance they’ll also support for these shows as well.

Update: Ticketing and venue information can be found here. Thanks Jimmy666.  All shows are 18+.  Tickets on sale on the 20th of November and are about $50 each.