GasHead - The Isolationist
- Erik Myers, Scene magazine
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.

From Rough Edge Reviews
GasHead - The Isolationist || 3.5 out of 4 rating
Let's just say this right off: GasHead is a superb band.
The first thing I noticed about "The Isolationist" is that just about all of the songs have enough hooks to keep the CD interesting throughout. Combine that with outstanding metal musicianship and this becomes one fine recording.

What I liked best about this CD is that the music was fun and easy to listen to. That's too often a difficult thing to say about a heavy metal CD, but GasHead makes it look easy with "The Isolationist." GasHead is a band that knows how to deliver a great recording and I wholly recommend this CD. The band even does a great cover of the Testament tune, "Disciples of the Watch."

From Marquee Magazine Feb 08
Brian F. Johnson
Gashead || The Isolationist || FistMusic/Hapi Skratch Records || 3.5 out of 5

Since 2003, GasHead has set the standards for instrumental speed metal, but with this latest release, Gashead has finally added something to their band that they‚ve never had before, in the studio or on a stage ˜ a mic stand.

The Isolationist is the band‚s first full-length vocal album, produced by long-time Front Range guitar bad-ass Dave Beegle. Three of the vocal cuts are completed by local singer, James Brennan, while GasHead lead vocalist Josh Purdy holds down the majority of the tracks.

The addition of vocals has been carefully handled by the band. They add a lot without taking away from the hard-driving Satriani-style guitarwork that has always been the band‚s cornerstone. It‚s a slippery slope that so far the band has traversed miraculously. If the lyrics continue to be as strong in the future as the ones on The Isolationist, the band will have hit a stride that could carry them for some time.