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Chimera

by ISA

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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Jewel case CD with 4-panel full lyrics booklet. First pressing limited to 50 copies worldwide!

    Numbered and signed upon request.

    NOTE: If you have purchased the digital album and want to "upgrade" to a physical CD, send me a message confirming your digital purchase and I'll send you a 50% discount code!

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  • Full Digital Discography

    Get all 3 ISA releases available on Bandcamp and save 25%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Chimera, Chimera (Instrumentals), and HEATHENS (Single). , and , .

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1.
[dusk] 01:15
2.
I lay my head to rest But my troubled mind won't let me be My demons awaken when the lights go dim I seek solace in sleep, but toss and turn Sleep, dream... My conscience is restless I must soon release it The weight of the world has become Too much of a burden to bear Slowly drifting, the world slowly drifts away
3.
Faces, faces, everywhere I turn Faces I've seen, bridges I've burned Wanting, pleading, I can't overcome The pressure is rising but it's too late to wake up Stuck in the dream So I run I'm running away from my problems, Running away from my failures Chasing me, racing me, I can't escape Nothing can save me now They chase me endlessly, relentlessly They keep on haunting me, they keep taunting me "We want your body, we want your soul we're gonna catch you, we won't let you go" The world around me, only darkness Evil surrounds me in this place Twisted trees, they tangle and trip me Crimson rivers, flowing and dripping Like blood from an alien wound Lifeblood from an alien wound What do they want from me Why are they here? Friends morph into monsters Inhuman limbs and beastly features [stuck in the dream] I see no escape Clawing at my soul, these ghosts they won't let go I'm running away from my problems, Running away from my failures Chasing me, racing me, I can't escape Nothing can save me now A cave, a cove, a safe zone Maybe if I hide, they will leave me alone
4.
Catch my breath Take a breather No more fear No more panic Sleep on Dream on My sleeping body stirs My roaming conscience blurs A pair of eyes, gleaming in the darkness They blink and look deep into my soul The creature stirs, its steps are cautious Slowly emerging, it reveals itself to me And we dance We raise up our arms, and we open our souls, Heads tossed back and skin aglow. The creature danced, it danced with me, A heathen's dance for none to see We dance and we dance until the room grows bright With the energy we release from our souls No shame, no fear, we do as we like, A heathen's dance until the death bell tolls.
5.
A swirling black cloud of bits of burned souls descends, Obscuring the light that we made The cave, the cove, is suddenly cold, My heathen friend vanished, only I remain But the dance must go on I'm being watched by a beast so black, The cavern light seems to be sucked into its scaly back Like a black hole of wicked souls It feeds on the ghostly flesh Of the recently deceased Ripping, tearing, gorging itself on memories And it feeds Slowly the beast turns to me (don't look) Blood dripping from his jagged teeth (nowhere to hide) He lets out an evil scream (don't look) And he throws himself at me (nowhere to hide) I run past forests of evil, fields of fear I'd rather be anywhere other than here The rising sun beckons me onwards, Illuminating the landscape before me I look back and see his eyes, Hungry and visceral, But the sun offers me some hope Banishing demons back to their holes Back to their darkness, the sun brings hope In the sunlight, I will be saved.
6.
7.
What have we done? I look around at the mess of the world All that the light touches is in bloody pieces The scent awakens within me A lust, a hunger, a need to feed The beast is me I follow my nose The shadow of a palace grows Opulent, it gleams before me I follow my nose The odor of this pallid fortress Reeks of a privileged purgatory What have they done? "We need this war," he said "They need to see our strength" So emboldened, I lust for another To feast of their flesh To paint with their blood For they comprise my kin's opposite: the other They are the other and I'm seeing red
8.
I am waiting for a chance to prove myself I am not what I've been told to be My bloodlust fades I become me What I am is unconstrained by convention Fuck convention I am free to change my form (spread my wings) I spread my wings and leap into the sky Soaring above the mountaintops I fly into the clouds The clouds are drowning me
9.
I find myself floating alone on an ocean of clouds Wondering how I got here Adrift on this ocean I search for the shore I search for a sign That I'm not alone There's no sign of life for miles As far as my eyes can see Gently undulating, riding the waves A distant shoreline drawing me in to crash upon the rocks, breaking with the waves A storm is rising in the sky As the cliffs and stones approach My breathing quickens I choke, coughing Will I be smashed upon the shore Like so many before me? Will my body be discovered Before it rots away?
10.
I emerge from my body Lying crumpled on the shore Buffeted by the waves Abandoned and forlorn This vantage point is one I’ve never had before Floating ever upwards, I watch the land recede I am but a speck, indiscernible, invisible The air grows thin I’ve never been so high Our globe’s blue glow fades into starlight I turn up and beyond The heavens beckon I am but a speck, indiscernible, invisible Slowly drifting, the world slowly drifts The world slowly drifts away Is this the end? To dissolve into nothing? My body stirs My spirit rises Wake me up
11.
[dawn] 00:23

about

The sun sets. The day closes. In the absence of light, my demons stir and wake. So I run.

Enter my dream and join me on this journey. Release your conscience, let everything go. Let your mind be free to imagine, your heart free to race. Fall into sleep and let the world slowly drift away.

__

METAL INJECTION:
"[ISA] meshes so many styles into one seamless flow; the overall quality is mesmerizing..."
www.metalinjection.net/av/thinking-man-prog/the-thinking-man-isa-is-among-the-classier-heathens

METAL TRENCHES | 8.7 out of 10
"The musicianship is on point, the approach is unique... [ISA] succeeds in creating 'music you could get lost in.' "
metaltrenches.com/reviews/chimera-1453

GAMES, BRRRAAAINS, & A HEAD-BANGING LIFE | 9 out of 10
"an assault of death metal that threatens to melt minds with intense riffing and an absurd level of technical mastery"
gbhbl.com/album-review-isa-chimera-self-released/

CADAVER GARDEN:
"...mesmerizing to say the least... This offering has a great ability to steal you away from the world for its run time and let you bask in all of its technical, progressive and atmospheric glory... a mind contorting effort that sticks with you once you are done listening only for you to come back to experience it again and again."
cadavergarden.com/2018/05/23/isa-chimera/

METALMANCE:
"...there's something unbelievable about Curhan's vocal talent... it's all over the place yet it's all contained. It's got to be heard to be believed"
metalmance.wordpress.com/2018/07/31/roundup-july-2018/

THE SOUND NOT THE WORD:
"This is psychedelic, progressive death metal of the most intricate kind, with a huge range of dynamics, moods, and atmospheres. It’s a challenging listen; but one that’s very rewarding"
thesoundnottheword.com/2018/05/24/review-isa-chimera/

THE KILLCHAIN:
"'Chimera’ is a sprawling, ambitious work of modern heaviness."
thoseonceloyal.wordpress.com/2018/06/12/review-isa-chimera/

TECHNICAL MUSIC REVIEW:
" If you like spontaneity and progressive music that’s not of the norm ISA is a project that is for you."
technicalmusicreview.com/2018/05/23/isa-chimera/

WONDERBOX METAL:
"Whether it’s being atmospheric or aggressive, or usually some combination of both simultaneously, Chimera is a dizzying, dazzling monster"
wonderboxmetal.com/2018/05/26/isa-chimera-review/

HEADBANGER REVIEWS:
"stupendous... an incredibly layered listening experience that is as much a marvel of the style as much it is an assault on the senses"
headbangerreviews.wordpress.com/2018/05/29/isa-chimera/

DEAD RHETORIC:
"A thought-provoking look at dreams that is ripe for dissection at the technical level but with a constant purpose and feeling behind it."
deadrhetoric.com/features/sifting-through-bandcamp-may-2018/

__

In late 2011, I thought it would be cool to write a concept album that takes a trippy dream journey, both lyrically and musically. I wanted the music to be technical and thoughtful, full of absurd time signature patterns and intricate instrumentation, but still feel like the dream that it’s supposed to represent. I wanted the songs to flow right into each other, to be appreciated as a single piece of music. I wanted it to be the album I would choose to listen deeply to, more than anything else in the world. It took nearly seven years to fully realize this vision in between, you know, life as a non-musician, learning how to actually not suck at recording, and having a demanding job and stuff, but I can finally and proudly present a finished Chimera to the world.

True to my vision, Chimera is a densely layered journey through nine stages of a narrator’s night of dreams. Meticulously composed, simultaneously diverse and coherent, unpredictable yet familiar, and rich with mesmerizing psychedelic atmosphere, it will leave you far from where you began – if you choose to let yourself go along for the ride.

All the best, and thanks for listening!

-Dan (ISA)

__

Other promo + such:

STAGE I - DESCENT featured on Super Metal World podcast:
www.supermetalworld.com/blog/post/indie-metal-radio-2

STAGE VII - LUST featured on Pure Grain Audio:
puregrainaudio.com/audio/isa-stage-vi-lust-free-song-download

STAGE IV - EVIL featured on She Likes It Heavy - listen at Radio Free Boston:
reject.libsyn.com/she-likes-it-heavy_show-266_052218

HEATHENS (Single) included in Heavy Blog is Heavy's annual free compilation, Heavy Comp volume 5:
www.heavyblogisheavy.com/2017/12/25/free-download-heavy-comp-heavy-volume-five/

HEATHENS (Single) included in Prog Sphere Promotions Progotronics 11 compilation:
prog-sphere.bandcamp.com/album/progotronics-11

credits

released April 20, 2018

Chimera was composed, performed, recorded, and mixed entirely by Dan in his living room.

Album artwork by Dan, with special thanks to Pace, insta:@neerfherder, and Alejandro for layers and logos.

Thanks to Cass for her patient ear, and to Stompbox Sonic for enabling my swirly soundscapes.
stompboxsonic.com

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about

ISA Somerville, Massachusetts

I make music to escape. Join me.

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