One of the things I like about US combo Isis is that they are capable of creating a universe entirely of their own, thus related to for example Swedish Burst, older Neurosis or French eco-metallers Gojira.

If I were to sell Isis to someone, I wouldn’t use the label metal. That description wouldn’t suffice.

There are elements of metal in there, no doubt, but the overall impression is that this is music you can just close your eyes and float away to. Even in the sections where the screams of singer Aaron Turner tear through the soundscape, you don’t feel a real, brutal tension.

Everything flows over the seven tracks of the album (all songs apart from one last more than seven minutes).

Be warned: ‘Wavering Gradient’ is not an album that I immediately thought was cool. Quite the opposite, actually: I found the album fairly unnerving the first couple of times I listened to it. It is not music for the car stereo and that is where most of the music I listen to goes through its initial rounds of testing.

But it grows on you and is particularly suited for evenings where you need to sit back and think things over. Not that I get many of those, but I happen to have one now, and Isis kicks right in.

If you’re looking for a party on record, look somewhere else. This is not it. This is your soundtrack for being introvert and thoughtful. Try it.