Panopticon - Isis

...so for quite some time, Panopticon has drawn me away from most of the rest of Isis's music because it has such a great replay value, such great musicianship, and well....it is meaningful to me on the deepest level, which is rare for any music. I am actually a music enthusiast who enjoys many genres, and I am also proud to say that this has been one of the greatest and most passionate pieces of art I have ever heard in my life.

Let ...
...record.

The Panopticon was a prison building designed in the late 1700's by Jeremy Bentham, an English Philosopher. It is designed in an octagon, with a central guard tower overlooking the entire complex. This gives the illusion that the prisoners are always being watched or carefully guarded, even though the building may be understaffed or even abandoned.

The lyrics of this album are as follows:

1. So ... more

Although Isis are indubitably superb musicians and have been so for quite some time, Panopticon has drawn me away from most of the rest of Isis's music because it has such a great replay value, such great musicianship, and well....it is meaningful to me on the deepest level, which is rare for any music. I am actually a music enthusiast who enjoys many genres, and I am also proud to say that this has been one of the greatest and most passionate pieces of art I have ever heard in my life.

Let me first give a background on the notion of 'Panopticon', and why it has a great amount of significance in this record.

The Panopticon was a prison building designed in the late 1700's by Jeremy Bentham, an English Philosopher. It is designed in an octagon, with a central guard tower overlooking the entire complex. This gives the illusion that the prisoners are always being watched or carefully guarded, even though the building may be understaffed or even abandoned.

The lyrics of this album are as follows:

1. So Did We

Our skin worn thin
Our bones exposed
Life reduced to ticks

From forest caves and azure skies
We crashed upon this earth
The years they passed and so did we
But, resistance would be brought

2. Backlit

Always object
Never subject

Can you see us? Are we there?
Are we there...
Can you see me? We are watching
We are watching...
You are fading...
In the daylight... Fading...

Always upon you, light never ceases
Lost from yourself, light never ceases
Thousands of eyes, gaze never ceases
Light is upon you, life in you ceases

3. In Fiction

Through fiction we saw the birth
Of futures yet to come
Yet in fiction lay the bones
Ugly in their nakedness

Yet under this mortal sun
We cannot hide ourselves

4. Wills Dissolve

Those eyes and (this) tower have seeped into our open veins

Uncoiled was its strength
And our souls en masse
Poured down in sheets of rain
And dissolved 'neath their feet

Circling further down
Our wills dissolve 'neath their feet

5. Syndic Calls

Rise in the morning air
Greeted by cinders of the dead

Syndic calls your name
Show your thinned face at the window

Is this the next last day?
Prepare to be carried by the "crows"
Heavy hand upon the land
Feel it's weight inside you

6. Altered Course

Instrumental

7. Grinning Mouths

Magistrates dream of plague
Tongues loll in anticipation
You are awake in their darker visions
Drool slips from grinning mouths

The plague is forced on us all
Is it there? Are they there?
Shouts of fact abound
But whispers of truth burn through

Is it there? Are they there?

As you may have guessed, most of the album is instrumental. My best explanation as to why this is: the epic scale is needed to compliment the massive theme that is present.

So Did We starts out quite loudly with harsh vocals and chugging riffs, but then descends quickly back into atmospheric bliss. This continues for awhile, giving a feeling of mixed hope, anger and sadness. Most of the rest of the song is atmospheric, except the very end, where it really does sound quite hopeful.

Backlit, the second track, on the other hand starts out quite softly, then eventually ascends to a roar, quiets down, and does the same again, except with a much greater climax the second time. Throughout, a few desperate clean vocals also permeate the atmosphere. I would say this one sounds a bit darker than 'So Did We'.

In Fiction is probably my favorite song on the album as of now. There is about four and a half minutes of atmospheric post-rock'; most of the song. However, this does not simply repeat (though it may appear to do so to the untrained ear) and does build over time, creating an ominous feeling. We get our first climax at about 4:50, with the same desperate chorus (which almost seems to be gasping for air), and the chugging, layered guitar. Later, something new comes in. A riff melody makes its way in, which is something of an arpeggio. Then more atmosphere can be heard, which builds up to a new climax, which this time has a more powerful and varying melody. It eventually ends with a bang, then peters off.

Wills Dissolve in my view is probably the weakest song on the album, but it's still pretty great. It just doesn't hold the same power as most of the rest. There is a middle guitar section that has some odd syncopation present, but most of the song is atmosphere, with a more grinding clean vocal pattern.

Syndic Calls was my previous favorite, and still probably is my second favorite. It does have my favorite vocals on the album still, though. The first minute and a half build up to a wall of sound, with an odd voice. This is hardly the highly of the song though. Later, we hear another catchy guitar melody which repeats several times before introducing some growled vocals similar to on 'So Did We'. The next four minutes or so after this are atmospheric, building up to a multiple guitar melody, and then finally, the best vocals kick in. A mixture of hopefulness and sorrow, they manage to clear the rest of the atmosphere and grab the listener's attention. One gripe I have about this song is that it ends too quickly after this; I would have liked a bigger climax with the vocals, and possibly some shrieks.

Altered Course is purely instrumental, but hardly boring at all. It starts largely atmospheric, but then has differing levels of guitar build on the starting melody. Then it just tapers off after about 3:30 with differing levels of ambient sounds. Still great, but this one doesn't grip you too much in the later stages of the song.

Grinning Mouths is primarily a guitar based song without copious amounts of atmosphere. It starts out with a short guitar melody and some atmosphere, but quickly turns into multiple guitar melodies, which subside for a little bit but jump right back. Later, the guitars become crushingly heavy, but there are some great vocals here similar to those in Syndic Calls. The guitars do carry on to the very last note, and the song ends quite abruptly. Overall, this song sounds ominous as well, as if to pose the question of 'Where do we go from here?' For a closer to such a stunning album, I would have preferred more melody and a stronger instrumental style than the others, though.

What I think this album is referring to is the massive scale of society, and our apparent powerlessness to rise to where we wish to be in the world. This illusion is created by a monolithic network in which we feel that we cannot escape, so we willfully submit to it, even though we know that it may eventually lead to our demise. Of course one could interpret this in a plethora of different ways, but this is just my own view on the album.

So Did We seems to refer to how life has been reduced to nothing but a well oiled, massive machine, and how we originally were in touch with ourselves and nature. 'The years passed by' and we lost this, but not without some resistance.

Backlit seems to refer to the feeling that something omnipresent is watching us, possibly the influence of religion on social control. "Can you see us?" would point to how far removed we are from this force, how they are removed from us and thus go further on this path, and how we are fading in individuality. It also gives the message to never give in.

"Always upon you, light never ceases
Lost from yourself, light never ceases
Thousands of eyes, gaze never ceases
Light is upon you, life in you ceases"

This points to how we are constantly monitored, and how this drains our life and humanity away, in my view.

In Fiction seems to describe how we saw a great future, but also some of us saw a bleak future within such a guise. It also details how we can never hide this, no matter how hard we try.

Wills Dissolve seems to refer to how this lack of humanity and constant surveillance has deteriorated us. It also seems to state that 'mass society' fuels this machine, but dissolves individuality. We keep spiraling further downward, and our individuality and will dissolves.

'Syndic' can refer to two things: A government official, and death. This dual meaning is very interesting and I doubt that it's placement in the storyline as such is unintentional. To me, it's about how we grow closer to death as human beings the more we submit to this system, and that we feel it subconsciously but just cannot put our fingers on it.

Grinning Mouths seems to be about those who are in control plaguing us all with this 'mass society', and anticipating us going further down into this metaphorical pit. Then, it makes a notion of it all being imaginary, which would signify much of the 'skepticism' people have about fighting the status quo.

"Shouts of fact abound
But whispers of truth burn through"

This is probably the most powerful passage in the entire album. It refers to how those in control continue to propagate 'facts', but also how some know and spread the truth, though their attempts to do so are limited. Lastly, this song seems to detail how these forces exist, but exist subtly and out of the mental reach of those who think in conventional term. The cover also relates to this; showing an aerial photo of a landscape, as if someone is watching the inhabitants below.

All in all, the members of Isis are highly intelligent and skilled musicians, and I can regrettably say that I did not enjoy their latest album as much as this one. I only hope that their next album not only goes in this direction, but also builds on it. Panopticon is a musical masterpiece with an extremely powerful message that can be interpreted many ways, but ultimately has a bearing on all of us. I absolutely recommend this album to anyone who appreciates quality musicianship and has the patience and ear for pieces that span anywhere from seven to ten minutes a shot. 

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