Aaron Turner (born November 5, 1977) is an American musician, singer, graphic artist, and founder of label Hydra Head Records. He is known for being the vocalist and guitarist for the post-metal band Isis from 1997 to 2010. In 2014, he formed the band Sumac. Turner joined the post-metal band Neurosis in 2024.
He has also participated in several other bands and projects such as Old Man Gloom, Lotus Eaters, Greymachine and Split Cranium, a collaboration with Jussi Lehtisalo of Finnish band Circle who toured with Isis in 2009.
Raised in New Mexico, Turner moved to the Boston area, where he attended art school and formed Isis and Hydra Head. In June 2003, Turner moved operations of both the band and label to Los Angeles, California. Turner now resides in Vashon, WA which is also the base of operations for Hydra Head and his various other activities.
In partnership with his wife Faith Coloccia, Turner founded another record label, SIGE, in March 2011. It has gone on to release material from his musical collaboration with Coloccia, Mamiffer. SIGE is distributed by The Business.
Personal life
Turner was born in Springfield, Massachusetts on November 5, 1977. At an early age, his family moved to New Mexico, where he was raised. His mother was a teacher "who taught a progressive curriculum" and his father an author, "mainly [of] non-fiction". Turner describes his upbringing, surrounded by his parents' writer, artist and photographer friends, as "creatively nurturing". At age 17, he started a company that sold rare punk rock records via mail-order. He later moved to Boston to attend art school at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, and in 1995 began releasing music. By 1997, the Hydra Head label was becoming a respectable small record label. Turner describes his early industriousness as being motivated in part by boredom:
I grew up in New Mexico, and there wasn't a whole lot as far as youth culture is concerned. Especially when I started to get interested in straight edge and wasn't doing drugs anymore, there was really nothing for me to do. So that was like a big reason for me, I suppose, to become really productive. Also, I've never been a really social person. So there's not a lot of time taken up by my social life. And music has always been a very very big part of my life. I guess just a combination of those factors is why everything got started so early.
Around 1997–99, Turner was living with future Isis bassist and co-founder Jeff Caxide; until this point, he had been a member of the bands Union Suit and Hollomen. Isis was formed in 1997 out of a dissatisfaction with said bands' musical direction and Turner and Caxide's respective degrees of creative control.
In mid-2009, Turner moved from Los Angeles, where both Isis and Hydra Head Records were based at the time, to Seattle with his then-girlfriend, Faith Coloccia; they went on to wed in September of the same year.
Equipment
Touring with Isis in 2007, Turner used two different guitars: a 1976 Fender Telecaster Custom (black), and a 1975 Fender Telecaster Deluxe (brown), played through various effects (his pedalboard layout changed every gig depending on what songs the band decided to play that night), a VHT/Fryette Pitbull Ultra Lead, and two 4x12 Sunn cabinets. He has also acquired a custom guitar from the Electrical Guitar Company (as did fellow Isis guitarist Michael Gallagher).
In the past, Turner has also used a Gibson Les Paul Standard, PRS CE24, and has played through Sunn, Mesa Boogie, and Mackie amplifiers.
When playing with Isis, Turner and his fellow guitarists usually tuned their instruments (low to high) B-F#-B-E-G#-B, to achieve a heavier sound. They also used other tunings, though less frequently, such as F# (octave below)-F#-B-E-G#-B.
In 2016, Turner described the live rig he used with SUMAC as consisting of two custom-built guitars from the Electrical Guitar Company. Both have lucite bodies and aluminum necks, and custom-wound wide frequency range pickups. The newer of the two—a prototype for a signature model—has a slightly flatter fingerboard radius than the older instrument. On a tour of the Eastern US, Turner was using an Orange Dual Dark 100 amplifier head with a slaved Fryette Two/Ninety/Two power amp. Both heads drove Orange and Marshall cabinets, though Turner claimed to have no strong preferences for particular speaker cabinets. While recording, Turner prefers to use a Fryette Pitbull Ultra Lead, an amp model he's used consistently since his work in Isis. Turner described using a variety of effects pedals in his live rig. Specifically, he runs a BOSS TU-3 Chromatic Tuner, a Death By Audio Apocalypse fuzz, a MASF fuzz, a Strymon BlueSky reverb (which he described as the one essential pedal in his rig), a TC Electronics Ditto Looper X2, and an EHX Forty-Five Thousand sampler (used to trigger preset samples during performance). Turner prefers a Heil PR20 vocal microphone. When playing with Sumac he uses two distinct tunings being A-F#-B-D-F#-B and A#-F-A#-D-F#-A#.
Musical influences
Turner cites Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Godflesh, Neurosis, and Led Zeppelin as influences on Isis' sound. However, he points to the electronica, krautrock and hip hop genres as shaping the group's rhythmic focus and use of sampling, as well as their occasional digressions into ambient passages. He has also listed Melvins, Jimi Hendrix, Swans, Keiji Haino, Oxbow, Earth, and Coil as among his favorite artists, and has noted that Megadeth, Metallica, and Slayer were important to his early interests in the guitar. In addition, he has noted Black Sabbath as an influence during his formative years.
Discography
Solo
Interminable Conniption (2019), The Tapeworm / Sige Repression's Blossom (2019), Sige The Occupation of Selfishness (Single) (2021) To Speak (2022), Trost
With Daniel Menche
NOX (2017), Sige
With Doolhof
Doolhof (2020), Sige
With Drawing Voices
Drawing Voices (2007), Hydra Head Records
With Greymachine
"Vultures Descend" (2009), Hydra Head Records Disconnected (2009), Hydra Head Records
With Hollomen
"Brand New Genius" [single] (1997), Hydra Head Records
With House of Low Culture
Submarine Immersion Techniques Vol. 1 (2000), Activities Gettin' Sentimental EP (2002), Robotic Empire Edward's Lament (2003), Neurot Recordings Live from the House of Low Temperature! EP (2004), Hydra Head Records Chinatown Squalls EP (2007), En/Of Housing Tracts Compilation (2010), Sige Uncrossing / Ice Mole Split EP with Mamiffer (2010), Utech Records Lou Lou... In Tokyo Split with Mamiffer and Merzbow (2011), Sige Cloey / Spoiled Fruits of the Kingdom (Demo) Split EP with Mamiffer (2011), Sige Perverted Scripture / Silent Night Split EP with Mamiffer (2011), Sige Poisoned Soil (2011), Taiga Records/Sub Rosa Mamiffer + HOLC Split EP with Mamiffer (2013), Sige House of Low Culture / Caustic Touch / Daniel Menche / EMS Split (2017), Accident Prone Irretrievable (2020), Sige
With Isis
Mosquito Control (1998), Escape Artist Records The Red Sea (1999), Second Nature Recordings Sawblade (1999), Tortuga Recordings Isis / Pig Destroyer (2000) (Split with Pig Destroyer), Relapse Records Celestial (2000), Escape Artist Records SGNL>05 (2001), Neurot Recordings Oceanic (2002), Ipecac Recordings Panopticon (2004), Ipecac Recordings In the Fishtank 14 (2006) collaboration with Aereogramme, Konkurrent In the Absence of Truth (2006), Ipecac Recordings Wavering Radiant (2009), Ipecac Recordings Melvins / Isis (2010) (Split with Melvins), Hydra Head Records
With Jodis
Secret House (2009), Hydra Head Records Black Curtain (2012), Hydra Head Records
With Jon Mueller
In the Falls (2021), Sige Now That You've Found It (2022), American Dreams Records
With Lotus Eaters
Alienist on a Pale Horse [EP] (2001), Double H Noise Industries Mind Control for Infants (2002), Neurot Recordings Lotus Eaters [EP] (2002), Drone Records Wurmwulv (2007), Troubleman Unlimited Records
With Mamiffer
Hirror Enniffer (2008), Hydra Head Records Uncrossing / Ice Mole Split EP with House of Low Culture (2010), Utech Records Iron Road II / Fake Witch Split 12" with Oakeater (2011), Sige Lou Lou... In Tokyo Split with House of Low Culture and Merzbow (2011), Sige Perverted Scripture / Silent Night Split EP with House of Low Culture (2011), Sige Mare Decendrii (2011), Sige Bless Them That Curse You Collaboration LP with Locrian (2011), Sige Mamiffer / Pyramids Split LP with Pyramids (2012), Hydra Head Records Enharmonic Intervals (for Paschen organ) Collaboration LP with Circle (2013), Sige Statu Nascendi (2014), Sige Crater Collaboration LP with Daniel Menche (2015), Sige The World Unseen (2016), Sige Recordings For Lilac III limited cassette (2017), The Tapeworm The Brilliant Tabernacle (2019), Sige Ae/Be EP, (2020), Sige Mettapatterning for Constellation, (2020), Sige
With Marshall Trammell Experimental Love I & II (2020), Sige
With Neurosis An Undying Love for a Burning World (2026), Neurot Recordings
With Old Man Gloom
Meditations in B (1999), Tortuga Recordings Seminar II: The Holy Rites of Primitivism Regressionism (2001), Tortuga Recordings Seminar III: Zozobra (2001), Tortuga Recordings Christmas Eve I and II + 6 [EP] (2003), Tortuga Recordings Christmas (2004), Tortuga Recordings No (2012), Hydra Head Records The Ape of God (2014), Profound Lore Mickey Rookey Live at London (2016), Ektro Records Seminar IX: Darkness of Being (2020), Profound Lore Seminar VIII: Light of Meaning (2020), Profound Lore Willing Vessel / Storms in our Eyes [EP] (2020), Sige
With Pharaoh Overlord 6 (2020), Rocket Recordings
With Split Cranium Sceptres To Rust 7-inch (2012), Self Released Split Cranium (2012), Hydra Head I'm the Devil and I'm OK (2018), Ipecac Recordings
With Sumac The Deal (2015), Profound Lore What One Becomes (2016), Thrill Jockey Before You I Appear EP (2016), Thrill Jockey American Dollar Bill – Keep Facing Sideways, You're Too Hideous to Look at Face On with Keiji Haino (2018), Thrill Jockey Love in Shadow (2018), Thrill Jockey Even for Just the Briefest Moment Keep Charging This "Expiation" Plug in to Making It Slightly Better with Keiji Haino (2019), Trost May You Be Held (2020), Thrill Jockey Into This Juvenile Apocalypse Our Golden Blood to Pour Let Us Never with Keiji Haino (2022), Thrill Jockey The Healer (2024) The Film with Moor Mother (2025), Thrill Jockey
With Summer of Seventeen Summer of Seventeen (2020, Karlrecords)
With Tashi Dorji Turn!Turn!Turn (2019), Sige
With Thalassa
Bonds of Prosperity (2017), Sige
With Twilight
Monument to Time End (2010), Southern Lord Records
With Unionsuit
Demo tape (1996), Hydra Head Records Accidents Happened [EP] (1997), Second Nature Recordings
As a guest contributor
27 – Let the Light in (2004), Hydra Head Records Turner contributes vocals to the track "April". Boris – Heavy Rocks (2011), Sargent House Turner contributes to the track "Aileron". Chelsea Wolfe – Hiss Spun (2017), Sargent House Guest vocals on the track "Vex" Converge – Converge / Napalm Death, self-released Guest on "Wolverine Blues" (originally performed by Entombed). Dekathlon – The Thin Road 7″ (2019), Ektro Records Guest vocals and guitar Full of Hell – Trumpeting Ecstasy (2017), Profound Lore Records Guest vocals on "Crawling Back To God" Lustmord – O T H E R (2008), Hydra Head Records Turner contributes guitar to the track "Element". Pelican – What We All Come to Need (2009), Southern Lord Records Turner contributes guest guitar to the title track. Puscifer – "V" Is for Viagra. The Remixes (2008), Puscifer Entertainment Turner provides the track "Trekka (The Great Unwashed Mix)". Samuel Kerridge – The I is Nothing (2018), Downwards Records guest on "Propagates of Desire". Ringfinger – Decimal (2007), Little Black Cloud Records