Isis - Clearing The Eye

As momentum builds ahead of the forthcoming Isis LP In the Absence of Truth this Halloween, Clearing The Eye is an assured reminder of their "post-metal" meanderings. Featuring snippets of performances from legendary stateside venues, such as LA's Troubadour and New York's CBGBs, this is a no-frills package without any great technical jiggery pokery.

Essentially, the tunes do all the talking on Clearing the Eye, which is remarkable alone in that frontman Aaron Turner rarely even sings. Scaling five years of performance, from the slow-burning majesty of Celestial to the controlled pathos of the self-explanatory Collapse and Crush, Isis deliver a template comparable to (though substantially heavier than) Mogwai - and have been around for almost as long. Although perhaps more directly attuned to the furrow ploughed by the likes of part-time collaborators Neurosis and touring buddies Mastodon, theirs is still an elusive niche which feels practically unchartered.

Unfortunately, as a visual spectacle (the bonus promo video for In Fiction notwithstanding) there's little of note going on but a band throwing down onstage. For all the great music on show, the package still smacks of their having been a mate with a camcorder on the tour bus