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From the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Oceanic

ISIS

2002

Oceanic

Album Summary

This album has been submitted by a user and is not included in any edition of the book.

Oceanic is the second full-length album by American post-metal band ISIS, released on September 17, 2002, by Ipecac Recordings. On November 4, 2014, a remastered edition was released via Hydrahead/Ipecac Recordings. Since its release, Oceanic has received critical acclaim and has been regarded as a masterpiece. On July 23, 2006, Isis performed Oceanic in its entirety at KOKO, Camden Town, London as part of the All Tomorrow's Parties curated Don't Look Back series. This performance was recorded and eventually released in 2009 as Live V. The track "Weight" was used in the 20th episode of the 1st season of the 2007 television series Friday Night Lights. The album themes are considered to be an expansion on the bands 1999 EP The Red Sea, which includes themes of water throughout, death, emotional detachment, incest, and suicide. The album’s style marks a distinct departure from their previous sound; up until this point, Isis had been characterised by crushing, distorted guitars and a coarse, unforgiving tone. With this album came the introduction of lengthy periods of clean guitar, large amounts of ambient noise and female vocals; a notable post-rock influence, first hinted at on SGNL>05 and Celestial. This transition was retrospectively labelled by FACT's Robin Jahdi as "one of the more eye-opening musical metamorphoses of the decade"; it has been described as "seminal". As Ben Richardson notes in the San Francisco Bay Guardian, the album's release "fomented an explosion of glacial, Neurosis-inspired instrumental 'post-metal'"; likewise it has been described as "the standard by which all post-metal albums have been judged since". It has retrospectively been labelled a "masterpiece".

Wikipedia

Rating

2.63

Votes

60

Genres

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Reviews

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Aug 13 2025
3

Welp the band name didn’t pan out long term. The album is pretty decent. Hardcore prog metal that’s kind of like a more intense tool. Worst part of this album was the singer with the intense yelling. If this is a full instrumental or he toned it down a little this album would have some good replay value but that’s not the case. Instead it’s an album that has its moments but not something I’d choose over some other prog rock metal bands. 6.4/10

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Aug 15 2025
4

I like post-metal from time to time. And so do I with this album.

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Aug 14 2025
3

They who shall not be named

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Aug 19 2025
4

I love this post metal album. It sounds like shoegaze with a metal vibe and it hits all the right spots.

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Aug 31 2025
4

When Oceanic came out in 2002, Isis weren’t yet at the level of their clear inspirations like Neurosis, but they were already pushing into something new. Alongside a handful of other bands, this album is one of the reasons post-metal became recognized as its own thing, rather than just an offshoot of sludge or doom. It's also why I think the submitter put this on the list. Listening back now, over 20 years later, you can hear both the growing pains and the ambition. What strikes me most is how clear the ocean theme runs through it. Tracks like “The Beginning and the End” and “Weight” are massive and atmospheric, with long stretches that rise and fall like tides. The interludes, though, don’t always hold up as well. Some of them drag and lose that intensity. Not every song is equally strong, and at nearly an hour it can feel longer than it needs to. But context matters. In 2002, this kind of expansive, cinematic heaviness was still carving out its own space. Isis weren’t just heavy; they were moody, conceptual, and willing to stretch songs into landscapes. You can hear how this set the stage for their later, stronger records like Panopticon or In The Essence Of Truth, which refined the formula into something breathtaking. For me, Oceanic is an album I enjoy a lot, even with its flaws. It’s not quite a 5-star masterpiece, but it’s a landmark in post-metal, and a reminder of a time when this sound was still evolving and finding its identity.

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Aug 14 2025
3

I started into this and didn't think I was going to be able to make it through. It's harder than my usual fare and I am not always into such things. But about midway through some of this really stood out to me and I found that I wasn't minding the ponderosity of it all. "Weight" was a particularly good track to me, very meditative and something I'd like to hear again I think.

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Aug 16 2025
3

Didn’t wow me but I didn’t hate it either. Vocals felt fine against the more atmospheric post-rock atmosphere, and this felt much more introspective and wandering than the chug fest I expected. Coming down on a 3 here, probably won’t return to this one but it was a solid listen.

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Aug 17 2025
3

Pretty solid metal. Generally just not a fan of the vocals in this kind of music but found the style on this less grating than some. Started out my day frustrated by some ill turns of chance so a little dark thrash wasn't unwelcome.

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Aug 19 2025
3

Rating: 6/10 Best songs: Weight

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Aug 22 2025
3

Musically this was really pretty excellent, but I have limited tolerance for this type of vocal. Fave Songs: Weight, Maritime, Carry, False Light

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Aug 26 2025
2

RAAARGHHH, WAAAGHHH, GRRRRRRHHH, SKREEEEE, BLAAARGHH, YAAARGHH, BRUUUUHHHH, KRAAAHHH. It's not even so bad if the singer just shuts up.

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Aug 16 2025
3

Enjoyed this post metal album, good music, not sure if I’ll come back to it though.

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Aug 23 2025
3

Yea, real nice.

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Sep 01 2025
3

It was pretty good except for the harsh vocals.

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Sep 02 2025
3

A good post-metal album. The high points are great but the rest aren’t overly affecting for me

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Aug 13 2025
2

Boring punk metal

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Aug 16 2025
2

Not awful put somewhat dull. Goes on way too long. Tool is a much better artist in this genre, I think.

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Aug 16 2025
2

This ‘post-metal’ album is likely over an hour only because the musicians often forgot where they were and just kept looping whatever they were doing until one of them remembered to move on

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Aug 18 2025
2

2 System of a Down but only the screams Untitled is pretty banger

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Aug 18 2025
2

lol I remember these guys changed their name because they didn't want to be associated with the REAL ISIS. Anyway, post-rock, post-metal, whatever you want to call it, is boring. And the yelling.... meh. I'm a metal guy and this doesn't do much for me. 2/5.

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Aug 13 2025
1

This is like the lightest heavy metal meeting the softest hardcore...

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Aug 14 2025
1

*Checks the ISIS jokes have already been done to death.* There's some good music here, but the vocals are just so god awful to ruin the rest of it. I don't really know what "Post Metal" is, but it sounds suspiciously like "Nu metal" hiding in less washed clothes.

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Aug 19 2025
1

No thank you. Quite unpleasant.

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