In 1993 Neurosis released Through Silver In Blood and with that one album spawned a whole new genre in extreme music and inspired countless musicians. Isis, formed in Boston in the year 1997, was one such band.

The band debuted in 1998 with this 4 song ep that clocked in at little under 30 minutes. The album starts with the soft almost inviting intro of Poison Eggs and as the song slowly changes tone and becomes a lurching crawling beast you can spot the Neurosis and Godflesh influences. The patterns slowly building, the textures adding up one on top of the other and the slightly deranged electronic noise that’s hidden away in the back of the mix all add up to make for a intriguing album opener. The next song, Life Under The Swatter is a fucking monster. Probably one of the best songs the band has written, it’s a monstrously heavy song that sounds like a jam between Neurosis and The Melvins. Crazy electronic shit still happening and some terrific drumming courtesy Aaron Harris.

Hive Destruction starts off with a riff that could’ve been on Meshuggah’s Nothing album before transforming into  sublime Sabbath worship with a doom metal riff before once again going into some Neurosis inspired sounds. Relocation Swarm rounds out the ep and it’s a 11 minute sea of riffs that slowly build up. While the musical references are the same, I think this song clearly shows Isis branching off into a slightly more different path. The riffs and the music in spite of being incredibly heavy take on an ambient form and act like a soundscape. Also, special mention of the band’s use of electronics. Too often, bands overdo the whole electronic bit to the point of distraction but Isis, on this terrific debut get things just right.

Isis were onto something here. While this music may not have even existed without Neurosis, the band show a lot of promise and Mosquito Control is a clear sign of the greatness that lay in wait for Isis. They would go on to release music that was far superior to Mosquito Control but this ep is a terrific document of a highly influential band in its formative years.

Year Of Release – 1998
Label – Escape Artist