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All Music Guide

In the Absence of Truth is as solidly explosive and as adventuresome as Panopticon, but their elemental control over the music is greater, therefore creating a more even production.

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Pitchfork

Despite a couple brief dull spots, the ingredients are so carefully selected and masterfully performed that the collection creates a pretty endlessness, existing at its best as one long take of dark-n-stormy post-rock.

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PopMatters

It’s the sound of a band knowing how to execute the formula to near-perfection, each lengthy song teasing us, ebbing and flowing hypnotically, tantalizingly hinting at a huge crescendo of sonic pyrotechnics that doesn’t quite arrive in full. In other words, a comfortable tension.

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Dusted Magazine

They remain a fantastic band, constructing their own cities of sound, a strange architecture with wine-dark interiors.

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Alternative Press

It's certainly a leap further into the ethereal weirdness that defined 2004's shoegaze- and electronics-inspired Panopticon. [Nov 2006, p.192]

Billboard

The dynamics and musicianship of songs like "Not in Rivers, but in Drops," "1000 Shards" and "Holy Tears" reveal a band at the top of its game. [4 Nov 2006]

Blender

Even if the high-minded concepts prove elusive, no worries. [Nov 2006, p.138]

Drowned In Sound

They’ve pushed themselves on this album, striving to achieve something honestly different to what was released before it. Occasionally they’ve fallen short of perfection, but for the most part this album is a certifiable success.

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Prefix Magazine

Theirs is music brimming over with passion first explored, then exploded.

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Stylus Magazine

The songs are still long, the rhythms are still organic, and in general Isis still sounds like Isis.

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The New York Times

It’s still unclear where this band is going. [23 Oct 2006]

cokemachineglow

Underwhelming.

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Tiny Mix Tapes

Every strong point is matched by a weaker one, but there is never an extremity of either.

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Village Voice

In the process of adding new facets to their sound, Truth winds up reinforcing self-imposed limitations.

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Spin

Truth subverts metal's natural will to power with dreamy, ambient passages that are never as sublime as the band clearly thinks they are. [Dec 2006, p.98]

Uncut

The lurch towards conventionality has exposed Isis' limitations: their paucity of melodic ideas, the pompous drumming, the lack of wit or soul. [Jan 2007, p.100]

Q Magazine

It's a powerful formula, but one the band perfected with their 2002 album Oceanic. [Dec 2006, p.141]

Delusions of Adequacy

Alas, it feels like In the Absence of Truth finds the band both spinning its wheels and running out of ideas.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 8.4 (out of 10) based on 21 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Champiodi Pi gave it a1:
Formulaic, tired, trite, boring, soulless, stargazing pretentious tommyrot. Unnecessary, redundant. Isis flog a dead horse which committed suicide after their only slightly less awful début Oceanic and this is BEFORE their God awful vocalist is brought to trial.

Eric C gave it a7:
The album advances and reveals itself at a slower-than-sludge pace, making it one of those rare metal albums that seeks to reward patience. It has it's share of satisfying moments, but rarely ventures in to breath-taking territory. It's an impressive album, but it could have been more.

Adam gave it a10:
astonishing from start to finish my favorite band since radiohead and sigur ros words do no justice with this release my best album of 2006 and maybe since 2004s panopticon.

[Anonymous] gave it a10:
In the Absence of Truth is in my shortlist for favourite albums (this shortlist includes Tool, Opeth, Pink Floyd, Russian Circles and The Mars Volta). I prefer more melodic music than that given by Oceanic; the tuneless vocals put me off a little. This album beautifully illustrates the concepts it presents with its ever-evolving song structures. The beautiful melodies and the crushing metal balance each other out and provide a wonderful listening experience. Garden of Light is such an amazing track, and the entire album is very well produced and recorded. However, I'm still not a fan of the tuneless growling present in all their songs (except for the two instrumental ones), and I do hope Aaron Turner expands on his melodic vocal ability in the future. Thumbs up from me, keep up the beautiful work Isis!

Devyn gave it a9:
this album has a great mellow vibe to it and a amazing climax effect in almost every song. This is one of their best albums in my opinion.

John gave it an8:
I actually prefer this over "oceanic". "in the absence of truth" is more atmospheric; the soundscapes are deeper and darker and the songs seem to shift at appropriate timings instead of repeating the same things over and over again like their earlier stuff (not that they don't still, but less so). i found "panopticon" to be rather boring by the end. with this go i feel energetic all the way through. i could easily listen from start to finish, and it feels alot more ambient if you're more into the post-rock aspect of isis than their status as a metal outfit like i am.

[Anonymous] gave it a5:
This album is weak, and anyone who believes otherwise is fooling themselves. Isis lack direction and focus on this album, the riffs are lazy and they just sound plain bored. Some new ideas are needed for their next release, there is only so much tribal drumming i can take. Best Track 'Holy Tears'

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In The Absence Of Truth

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