This is the second album from London-based ISOS, but many will treat this as a debut, given that ‘The World Is Yours’ came out three years ago and was an independent release. Since then Adam Leader (vocals), Rory Kay (guitar / vocals), David Mena Ferrer (guitar), Faz Couri (bass) and Sean Gorman (drums / percussion) have set about building their profile out on the road, sharing stages with acts such as Twelve Foot Ninja, Bullet For My Valentine, Funeral For A Friend and Nothing More, as well as appearing at Download in 2016. They have been embraced by the metal crowd, but in truth these guys are coming from a quite different field, as is typified by the album title. When I first started playing this I immediately thought of Living Color being mixed with Red Hot Chilli Peppers, with just a dash of Rage Against The Machine thrown in for good measure. But in truth the band are all these things and way more, as when they want to go all polyrhythmic they can, and show that they can channel their inner Meshuggah.
Not for one minute does it sound as if it is coming from the UK, as I would pick this as being straight from California, with each of the musicians a master of their instrument and mixing and throwing ideas around in a manner that is quite incredible. They are aware of the power of dissonance, the way to mix light and shade, how to go from the centre out to left field and back again and somehow it all makes wonderful, beautiful, magical sense. They can rein it in, or hammer it out, all depending on where the music is taking them. There’s reggae, funk, soul, and lots of rock and metal, all combining to be something that is quite different to anything else I am hearing at present, and a strong breath of fresh air for all that. I love it.
