Isis - Essential Albums

I am going to start something over the next few weeks. My attempt is to convert those who need converting to become fans of bands that have been influential and important in my life. Sure thats a whole load of subjectivity for you, but the basic fact is that if you like rock music then these bands will be the bands you must have. So theres my attempt at objectivity. Of course I feel that way to some degree about most of the music I post here, otherwise I wouldnt be posting it. Some of the music admittedly is too much for some, or just not their cup of tea, but these upcoming bands are the cream of the crop, and I will be putting you under the influence of their greatest material.
Generally my idea is to make a mix of the bands recorded material, excerpting less successful songs, and arranging those that I feel best represent each bands modus operdandi. My first installment is the best of the best of the Doom/ Sludge pioneers, ISIS. They are full albums as splitting their work up would disrupt the flow and thus take away from the overall feel. Granted, they dont need much help in converting people into fans, as many of you most likely already like them and own most if not all of their stuff. But for those who may not have heard them I offer these three slabs of Isis's perfection.

Oceanic (2002)

This album truly needs no introduction past the title of the record. This album is Oceanic. If you need more of a description you should go to Pitchfork who gave it an unprecedented 9.1, but trust me, my description is all you need.

Celestial (2001)

I'll spare you a description saying this album is Celestial (though it is) and go one step further and say that this is the sound of all primal universal energy, expanding and contracting and finally, space folding in on itself. This is a beast of an album that defies description. If all youve heard was Panopticon or Oceanic, you are not prepared for this. While lacking some of the post rock inventiveness that Oceanic perfected, it makes up for it with tribal pulsing and crunching. An extremely visceral album.

Mosquito Control (1998)

Their first output (minus the demo that was previously released) is the most primitive of their recorded output but also, in the same nature of their first full length Celestial, it has a way of punching you in the gut and knocking you over the head. This definitely treads into the "extreme" side of their work as there is little post rock/ shoegazer tendencies and Aaron Turner bellows like he has just awoken from an eternal slumber in a volcano. The music fittingly follows suit and will certainly have you gasping for air, and of course reaching for the repeat button. Or if you are like me, you will quickly throw on Celestial and continue the journey.

The Red Sea, Panopticon and the new album In the Absence of Truth are all also worthy of any collection. I chose the three I did as they are the best of their work in my opinion and have gotten the most plays out of all the albums. Panopticon follows closely behind these three and has some amazing tracks. The new album can be found here courtesy of Van Zwam.Make sure you say thanks and if you like what you hear you can support the band by going to their awesome live shows and purchasing albums and cool t-shirts as well as a bunch of other stuff on the bands website, Sgnl>05