In The Absence of Truth - Reception

Reception

Overall, the album garnered mixed to positive reviews, receiving a 70% score on Metacritic, and came in for criticism regarding certain aspects. For instance, a review in Q Magazine stated that the album uses "a powerful formula, but one the band perfected with their 2002 album Oceanic", and Delusions of Adequacy's Joe Davenport felt that "In the Absence of Truth finds the band both spinning its wheels and running out of ideas".

However, some reviews viewed that similarity as positive, and perceived it more as progression and evolution than repetition. Stylus Magazine repeated similar sentiments as those of the previous reviews, but did not feel that re-using a successful formula was a burden, Cosmo Lee saying "it's not Isis' fault that they sound unoriginal these days. All you have to do is pick up a copy of Decibel, open it to any page, and you’ll find someone counting the group as an influence The songs are still long, the rhythms are still organic, and in general Isis still sounds like Isis". Despite having said this, the review is still very positive. PopMatters repeated the views of Lee, stating Isis are "a band knowing how to execute the formula to near-perfection", and Thom Jurek of Allmusic expanded upon that point further, stating "this set is not a brave leap but a further look up the holy mountain to a new plateau, a hike to sacred ground". Drowned in Sound reviewer Mike Diver, however, viewed the album differently; that Isis have "pushed themselves on this album, striving to achieve something honestly different to what was released before it". An IGN review described it as "unique and free from boundaries", and it has been labeled as "Isis' masterpiece", as well as their "most compelling work to date". Writing for Alternative Press, Aaron Burgess states that "save for the brief distorted squalls of "Garden of Light" and the pummeling metallic grooves of "Not In Rivers, But In Drops," there's barely anything keeping Isis tethered to the rigid "post-metal" genre they helped inspire".

The sound of the album drew complimentary comparisons to Tool and Godspeed You! Black Emperor, being praised for its subtlety and gradual evolution of structure. However, some critical responses to the similarity with Tool were not so positive, with Joe Davenport arguing that "In the Absence of Truth plays out like some mediocre hybrid of Tool and Panopticon". Brandon Stosuy of Pitchfork Media posits that "the set's so finely wound that on the first few listens it seemed like the steady diet of Tool had perhaps transformed Isis into an emaciated, innocuous version of their older selves". However, he continues to suggest that the album "just require close (and repeated) listening to initiate an unravelling". Tracks selected as stand-outs include "Not in Rivers, but in Drops", "Garden of Light", and "Dulcinea", specifically praising the climax of the piece. "Holy Tears" is labeled as revealing the "true, outward strength of Isis", and is selected as "a beacon of light in the darkness" in a generally scathing Delusions of Adequacy review.

Decibel placed the album thirteenth in its top albums of 2006, as well as facetiously awarding Tool the "Isis Rip-off Band of the Year" award.