Isthmus is a progressive metal band from Baltimore, MD. The now four-piece group was formed in 2005 by guitarist/vocalist Noel Mueller, and drummer Chris May. Guitarist Matt Hogans and bassist Joe Kienle completed the band in the summer of 2007. Among other attempts at description, they have been called "progressive post-metal" and compared to rock pioneers King Crimson, Yes, and Magma as well as recent acts, Isis, The Mars Volta, Dysrhythmia and Neurosis.Aside from being detailed and relatively moody, Isthmus’ songs combine elements of melodic post-rock, bone-crushing sludge and progressive metal into an undeniably original style.
They are available for east-coast USA booking at: [email protected]
Isthmus has shared the stage with tons of cool-ass bands, including:
Behold... The Arctopus (Metal Blade), Rosetta (Translation Loss), Conifer (Important Records), God Is An Astronaut, Lesbian (Holy Mountain), Khann (Black Market Activities), Wooly Mammoth (Underdogma Records), Fjord (Eulogy Recordings), Admiral Browning (Dark Harvest Records), Chowder, Tarpit, Mobula, Black September, Vincent Black Shadow, Lovers and Killers, and many more to come!
New T-shirt $10!
RARE FOOTAGE OF ISTHMUS AT THE OTTOBAR
"On Of Crimson Clouds In Nectaris Milk, Isthmus dynamically combine technical and compositional skills with the ability to create emotion through music, as most songs are very sparse on lyrics. The huge sound of "Imbrium/Sea/Swell" takes over ten minutes to tell it's tale, ominously chugging its way through sludge and doom with melodious intrigue. The follow-up title track noodles with some jazz measures and a lyrical stanza harking back to a horror tale ending with a warning of blood. As Crimson's three songs swell and shrink from booming, cavernous low-ends to delicate, sparkling melodies, a change takes place as the music takes hold of the listener's conscience and carries it to a timeless, murky alternate reality where songs that survive longer than ten minutes are the norm."
- Barret King, Sen Baltimore Blogs - Any Given Tuesday
"On the surface, Isthmus, on Of Crimson Clouds In Nectaris Milk, seem to fit in rather snuggly with those bands that were birthed after the NeurIsis boom, fusing the once-disparate worlds of "atmospheric sludge*" and post-rock together, using the former's pacing and metallic riffing and the latter's loud/soft dynamic... But, the complexity of the riffs could, at some point, set the band apart. Because of the more intricate lines, Isthmus tends to cuddle up next to older instrumental math rock (I'm constantly reminded of A Minor Forest, Ativin, etc., not so much in feeling, but the way the riffs twist and turn), and might even bring comparisons to a more deliberate ... Dysrhythmia when things get moving. The ways that some of these lines play out are different and the transitions are seamless, which, to me anyway, could mean that those that can't jive with the perceived lack of technical flair in either of the aforementioned [bands], might get a kick out of this."
- Ian Chainey, MetalReview.com
Review of Isthmus @ The Talking Head - 1/4/08:
"After being totally turned on to Isthmus' EP Of Crimson Clouds In Nectaris Milk, I had to go check these guys out at the Talking Head Club. Intentionally intimate, uncompromisingly homely, Talking Head is is the corporealization of the punk ethos, getting its stuff together and making good effort to stay legit in the business world, Talking Head can be revered for its gritty exterior and warm, respectable sound.
The truest thing about this set was that it sounded better than the record. How many bands can you say that about? The rigid rhythm of Noel Mueller plays right into the spider arms flying up and down the neck on Matt Hogans' guitar. With his slightly shaggy charm, Hogans can best be decribed as the John Mayer of metal, bluesily and virtuosically enjoying the tone of the high E." - www.senbaltimore.com
hahahaha.. john mayer of metal..
