OCTOBER 2008 ONLINE EDITORIALS

GasHead - The Isolationist

By Erik Myers

Having dabbled in instrumentals and Latin acoustic influences, FoCo headbangers GasHead have dropped the pretenses for their third album, The Isolationist. The crazed quartet’s true calling: heavy-as-hell thrash metal.

Really, who needs experimentation when you’ve got universe-bending Satriani-styled solos? Or nightmarish power chord progressions? GasHead has grown as a band, but by sticking to a routine that doesn’t radically change direction, they have constructed a smashingly good top-to-bottom album.
Isolationist starts off with a big ruddy bang with “Dissolve,” an accelerating kicker led by lead singer Josh Purdy, who balances straight singing with the guttural screeches that are typically despised by listeners outside of the metal genre. Yet there’s something accessible about Purdy’s approach. Maybe it’s the dark humor of his lyrics: “You’re either fat or fucking hungry, third world picnic and there’s plenty of pie.”
One ought to take note of the plethora of issues tackled. “Juarez” is a blood-soaked take on the heavily populated Mexican city, a city plagued with recurring femicide and mass grave discoveries in the past few years. Meanwhile, “1s0s” is an ode to technologic horror.

Occasionally Mike Lopez breaks away from the thematic for glorious guitar solos that sound primed for an expert tier in the next Guitar Hero.
GasHead might not sound differently from most quality metal acts, but there’s no doubt that they’ve worked hard on their latest effort. You can hear it in the quality production and the challenging guitar solos. That, in itself, says something to their abilities; in this genre, perhaps more than any other, it can be hard to not suck.