The Islands and the Sea was formed in 2007 by Viri and Mario , formerly of Jupiter Mission (Mario's also in READER ). They recruited James of The Grasshopper Lies Heavy (Forgotten Empire Records) to play drums and guitar. An extension of their musical exploits thus far, The Islands and the Sea further juxtapose it's individual member's musical aesthetics to create an idiosyncratic kaleidoscope of heavy, loud, melancholy, and trudging post-rock. NOW AVAILABLE ON FORGOTTEN EMPIRE RECORDSFULL LENGTH DEBUT CD "RETURN" ORDER FROM THE FORGOTTEN EMPIRE WEBSTORE TODAY!!! CRITICAL PRAISE FOR THE ISLANDS AND THE SEA "...Islands and the Sea are intense in a more minimal, slow-to-build way. Admitting to being post-rock in these times of butchered, rebuilt, and re-categorized genre labeling, live, Islands’ dense construction is immediately present, and is malleable between moments of the brash conflagrations within their songs. Islands and the Sea is intentionally pragmatic and indulgent in piecemeal—which is unique anywhere within music —relying heavily on the stable, strong guitars to reinforce the varied, lush timbre. Appealing to engaged listeners and those in the perpetual search for details within details, they’ve created an unavoidable latticework of suspended depth and volume , while still facilitating a balanced demand of one other. With loudness and extension residing in their collective fore, Islands and the Sea has forged a unique sound created sans pretense. Francesca, Madeloud.com
"... a wondrous cacophony of noise that blasts out of the speakers with devastating ferocity. Immensely powerful, domineering and huge in sound and presence... will push you as far as you can be pushed by instrumental music... ...monumental levels of descriptive beauty and emotive power. It’s relentless, it’s punishing and it doesn’t stop ...organic structures that are as deafening as they are subtle ...You feel like you need to keep your guard up at all times, because you don’t know what will hit you next. It’s great stuff. It’s the sort of album you can put on and really get into ... maintains a mammoth sound that just grabs you by the balls and doesn’t let go .‘Return’ is definitely a must for those of you who love your instrumental music loud and in your face , yet still maintaining enough dignity to be intelligently presented and well worthy of your time and investment." ! " Lee Powell, Judas Kiss magazine (UK)
"... sad, violent, yet veiled with an underlying quality of beauty... Ironic, considering their sound is very loud, very heavy, and tuned extremely low. This band is a diamond in the rough, a true rarity ... Islands has done a fine job of integrating their own unique sound by glazing their otherwise abrasive songs with a delicate touch. Their songs offer intelligent structures; stark contrasts that leave the listener stunned that this band can be so loud and aggressive, and yet be just as delicate. Turn it up until you feel the hairs on your eyebrows tingle! " Amy Gomez, ECHO magazine "I don’t really know how to explain this record. Maybe the phrase "Drone-God Sandwich" would be best.... masterful...super rad, blasted-out and destroyed... This is an unusually unique record , which is a tall glass of cold water in this highly derivative genre ...and these are some of the most refreshing drone tracks I’ve heard in a long while ...this is an extremely solid debut . I can’t wait to see what this band creates next." Black Jesus, amazon.com review - 4 out of 5 stars "...a three piece Doom factory...certainly leaves one with the impression that there is still much territory to be explored within the world of Drone. Islands' unique sound proved this from the offset...a band that shows a lot of promise ." HK Ultra Wizard, amazon.com review - 4 out of 5 stars "The Islands and the Sea...balance their minimal, though dense, song constructions...with exploration and intent to push their instruments to limits just outside those of traditional rock, while still working within the confines they’ve created. Demanding of each other, and encouraging loudness and extension in their own post-rock admission, The Islands have converged upon a sound created under no pretense. A throbbing pulse in the heart of a slowly progressing genre, their songs have definite textures, taking turns making the dense denser and the loud louder." Francesca Camillo, San Antonio CurrentREAD ABOUT US HERE
