Jodis - Secret House

Jodis is a weird band. Not in the sense that the music is weird, but in the way that it is not what you would expect from its members.  James Plotkin and Tim Wyskida (OLD, Blind Idiot God and the serial-killer-doom outfit, Khanate) have been longtime collaborators. They are joined by Aaron Turner (ISIS, Old Man Gloom, House of Low Culture, Lotus Eaters, Grey Machine, etc).  Already, most would expect a painful, glacially-slow and experimental take on low-tuned, heavy metal dirge-scapes, but Secret House destroys any of these preconceived expectations from the start.  Make no mistake - Secret House is as heavy as a dump truck full of anvils made out of collapsed stars, but the heaviness is not derived from Sunn amps cranked to eleven or bombastic drums. It is achieved by the use of slow-moving textures of clean, full bass, prickly, barely over-driven guitar and pitter-patter drums that phase in and out of each piece like a lonely ghost that yearns not to be forgotten, but is barely there.  Through most of the tracks, Aaron Turner's vocals are almost Gregorian chanting monk-like, which makes Secret House feel more meditative than metal (save the title track which features the growl that Turner is known for). Sound, ambience, and timbre, rather than composition and structure are the band's strong points.  Turner and Plotkin hang on to notes on "Ascent" so long, that they almost dissipate completely, only to drift back into focus though the drowsy meter as Turner croons into the void. The melody of "Continents" moves as slowly as the name suggests; slabs of monolithic bass drift under waves of trebly guitar and the sparse drumming of Tim Wyskida, that colors rather than pendulates. The album ends with the smokey finish of "Slivers," which is a soulful drone seance that displays both bluesy falsetto vocals and ISIS-style yells in the distance. With most songs on Secret House hitting the six-plus minute mark, it allows Jodis the space it needs to stretch their barren-wasteland metal out as they see fit. It requires your time and attention, but is entirely rewarding once you are caught by its inescapable gravity.