New York, March 14, 2007 – The last time Isis played Irving Plaza back in May 2003, they did so as a supporting act for their Ipecac Records labelmates the Melvins and Tomahawk. After touring last Fall with musical giants Tool and having released their fourth full-length album, In the Absence of Truth (2006), and being featured this month in nearly every popular musical magazine of note, Isis did one better by selling out Irving Plaza as headliners. Despite the successes they've enjoyed and the perceived vacuity of their hometown, Los Angeles, Isis haven't let any of this go to their heads. In fact, the band members can still be seen setting up and tuning their instruments before every show.

Known for their massive sound comprised of equal parts contemplation and brutality, Isis played well over eighty minutes of mostly new material, though they gave the Irving Plaza fans a special treat during their encore by playing the title track from their Celestial album (2000). The crowd expressed their gratitude by launching a several combat-boot-wearing crowd surfers.

Not to be outdone, during an instrumental movement when vocalist Aaron Turner had a rest, he cleared his throat, rough from screaming, tilted his head back and, er, launched a wad of phlegm-filled spit into the air. I followed the wad’s arc from his mouth, over the stage, into the crowd and straight down in front of me onto what I thought was the floor, but was in fact the leg of my jeans.

Earlier in the evening Isis got ample support from the legendary Justin K. Broadrick 's latest musical incarnation Jesu. Some obvious fans of Broadrick's influential Godflesh were in the house, and they took every available opportunity between songs to shout the names of Godflesh classics. - Damien Neva