Band : Iselia
Album : Life From Dead Limbs
Release Year : 2011
Genre : Screamo | Hardcore | Post-Rock
Tracklist :
1. First Seed
2. Last Leaf
3. These Roots, These Branches
4. Dead Limbs
5. Assurance, Uphold
6. Homeland
7. Restless
8. At Day's Close
9. Great Kharaln
10. Roadside
11. Restless Acoustic
Iselia are among a handful of upstarts that have birthed at just the right time to enter as part of this post-hardcore rebirthing process. Their debut EP Adaptations showed that they had the potential to grab this opportunity by the reins, but where it soared on ideas it was hampered in presentation. The EP's production was somewhat one-sided and thin, leaving its crescendos in want of a much needed boost. Their new full length Life From Dead Limbs changes that. Now it is clear that Iselia have not only taken hold of those reins, but are steering themselves towards big big things. Life From Dead Limbs is not only the perfect next step for these North Carolinian skramzters, it is also a perfect example of all the power and beauty that the genre can offer.
Life From Dead Limbs is hauntingly intimate yet triumphantly grandiose. This is due to its flawless juxtaposition of minimalist layering, each part so simple yet so vital, to build a tightly woven tapestry of beautiful sounds mixed with the cathartic release that is Jason Cruz's vocal performance. Just take “Assurance, Uphold” for example. The groundwork of the song is the melancholy cadence of the underlying guitar work and the ever present tension in the rhythm section, but what makes it the towering centerpiece of Life From Dead Limbs is the usage of slide guitar volume swells, wet with effects, to tug on the heart strings before the immediacy in Cruz's rasp brings it to a stunning close. This tug of war between the emotional and the violent is seen throughout the entirety of Life From Dead Limbs. The flow of the album furthers this experience. The introductory “First Seed”/”Last Leaf” sets the mood from the start as it reaches multiple crescendos, like an aural roller coaster bringing you to a peak before having it all drop out from you to build speed for the next ascent. If “Last Leaf” is the first harrowing rise on this ride, “These Roots, These Branches” and “Dead Limbs” are the twists and turns before it starts to climb even higher on “Assurance, Uphold” as they are imbued with a sense of motion that bobs and weaves through the cratered landscape Iselia have created. The album's second half carries on in much the same way with “At Day's Close” as its emotional anchor and tracks like the “Restless” and the uproarious “The Great Kharlan”swirling around it. It truly is a sweet sound to behold.
What Iselia have done on Life From Dead Limbs is nothing short of astounding. It is the kind of album that one gets lost in, each little nuance is a passage way to something greater in the listening experience. Even more, at a time like this when the screamo world is full of aspiring standouts, it is Iselia's announcement to the world that they can go toe to toe with the big boys. With Life From Dead Limbs there is no reason why Iselia shouldn't be sitting right along side acts like Pianos Become the Teeth, Moving Mountains, Touche Amore, and Envy in the minds of screamo and post-hardcore fans world wide.
2. Last Leaf
3. These Roots, These Branches
4. Dead Limbs
5. Assurance, Uphold
6. Homeland
7. Restless
8. At Day's Close
9. Great Kharaln
10. Roadside
11. Restless Acoustic
Iselia are among a handful of upstarts that have birthed at just the right time to enter as part of this post-hardcore rebirthing process. Their debut EP Adaptations showed that they had the potential to grab this opportunity by the reins, but where it soared on ideas it was hampered in presentation. The EP's production was somewhat one-sided and thin, leaving its crescendos in want of a much needed boost. Their new full length Life From Dead Limbs changes that. Now it is clear that Iselia have not only taken hold of those reins, but are steering themselves towards big big things. Life From Dead Limbs is not only the perfect next step for these North Carolinian skramzters, it is also a perfect example of all the power and beauty that the genre can offer.
Life From Dead Limbs is hauntingly intimate yet triumphantly grandiose. This is due to its flawless juxtaposition of minimalist layering, each part so simple yet so vital, to build a tightly woven tapestry of beautiful sounds mixed with the cathartic release that is Jason Cruz's vocal performance. Just take “Assurance, Uphold” for example. The groundwork of the song is the melancholy cadence of the underlying guitar work and the ever present tension in the rhythm section, but what makes it the towering centerpiece of Life From Dead Limbs is the usage of slide guitar volume swells, wet with effects, to tug on the heart strings before the immediacy in Cruz's rasp brings it to a stunning close. This tug of war between the emotional and the violent is seen throughout the entirety of Life From Dead Limbs. The flow of the album furthers this experience. The introductory “First Seed”/”Last Leaf” sets the mood from the start as it reaches multiple crescendos, like an aural roller coaster bringing you to a peak before having it all drop out from you to build speed for the next ascent. If “Last Leaf” is the first harrowing rise on this ride, “These Roots, These Branches” and “Dead Limbs” are the twists and turns before it starts to climb even higher on “Assurance, Uphold” as they are imbued with a sense of motion that bobs and weaves through the cratered landscape Iselia have created. The album's second half carries on in much the same way with “At Day's Close” as its emotional anchor and tracks like the “Restless” and the uproarious “The Great Kharlan”swirling around it. It truly is a sweet sound to behold.
What Iselia have done on Life From Dead Limbs is nothing short of astounding. It is the kind of album that one gets lost in, each little nuance is a passage way to something greater in the listening experience. Even more, at a time like this when the screamo world is full of aspiring standouts, it is Iselia's announcement to the world that they can go toe to toe with the big boys. With Life From Dead Limbs there is no reason why Iselia shouldn't be sitting right along side acts like Pianos Become the Teeth, Moving Mountains, Touche Amore, and Envy in the minds of screamo and post-hardcore fans world wide.
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