Isua bring the thunder from the land down under on Abandon, the group’s first full-length album. Describing the album’s style as “grinding doom,” Isua often find themselves in a post-metal sonic territory that takes the framework laid out by bands like Neurosis and The Ocean and drops it on its head. Songs like “Spiral & Dissolve” and “Life’s Worth” suggest that they may take a traditional doom path before changing direction with fast, metallic chugs.
The centerpiece of Abandon is the massive “Trench Mouth,” a 10-and-a-half-minute slow burner that builds itself into a slow-moving psychedelic whirlwind by the track’s end. Abandon requires a bit of focus listening—the songs on the album aren’t really made for individual listening and it works best as a complete piece that fades out in the amplified stoner grooves of single “Departure.”
If the songs on Abandon are any indicator, Isua have an interesting future ahead of them. Tune into the album below and pre-order it via Crucible before its June 2 release.
