“Review of GasHead - Seething Apparatus EP. Fort Collins outfit GasHead began as a solo project by guitarist Mike Lopez, then branched into a full, albeit instrumental, band — which then blossomed into a full-on, five-headed metal juggernaut with the addition of vocalist Josh Purdy on 2007's The Isolationist. With the group's new EP, though, things have contracted: Tightly focused and unshakably controlled, the four-song Seething Apparatus is a blinding, concentrated burst of GasHead's potent riffage and outrage. Combining vintage thrash with subtle progressive tendencies, Lopez and crew gloriously wreck their own architecture on the searing "EVP" and the thoroughly pissed-off "Got Your Back." But the players manage to do more than just hold shit together; they wield bleak melody like demolition experts and sheer virtuosity with all the science of chaos theoreticians.”
—
Jason Heller, Westword
“review of GasHead - Seething Apparatus [EP] by Groovey.
GasHead makes metal tunes that are so humongous they can be seen from space. Seriously, the space station must have one hell of a mosh pit. GasHead's latest CD is a 4 song shredfest entitled Seething Apparatus and briefly as a free download. Most of the time that's a warning sign for “Suckage Ahead” but Seething Apparatus is absolutely top notch in every single aspect. For example the album is co-produced by Dave Beegle and we all know that he's about as big of a powerhouse in any music scene as you can get. Seething Apparatus is GasHead's fifth album and they have built upon those impressive previous releases each time reaching greater and greater heights. If you are one of those people who has to have a physical product to engage the other senses then there's an extra bonus for you cuz the physical CD comes with the video “Speak and Divide”. EVP is my fave song on this release. It's a shredder.
”
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Groovey, Colorado Music Buzz
“Review of GasHead - Seething Apparatus [EP]
4.5 stars / 5 stars.
In 2008, GasHead changed from being an instrumental speed metal band to a full-on assault that included vocals. Back then, I wrote, “If the lyrics continue to be as strong the band will have hit a stride that could carry them for some time.”
Well here we go, one year later, with the release of their EP Seething Apparatus, this band is, quite simply, kicking ass. Great riffs, killer double-kick drum bangs and ominous lyrics to boot, make this release and the band a prime reason why there is a national resurgence in metal happening.
— Brian F. Johnson”
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Brian F Johnson, Marquee Magazine
“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.”
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Brian F Johnson, Marquee Magazine
“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."”
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Rough Edge Reviews
“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 tie”
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Erik Meyers, Scene Magazine
“Westword "Movers and Shakers of 2005"
Dec 22, 2005
GasHead, Knuckles Avec Sombreros (Fist Music). Instrumental thrash with an understated Latin sensibility, GasHead's successor to LandSpeedRecord takes humorous liberties by tweaking metal's big, bad, bloated sense of itself. Instead of snarling goats and inverted crosses, the Fort Collins-based trio raises Molotov cocktails in a gleeful toast to abstract science, hockey and the absurd. Shred alert! -- La Briola”
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John La Briola, Westword
“GasHead - Knuckles Avec Sombreros
Review: This is some of the best music I've ever heard. Megadeth meets Joe Satriani. Heavy tight riffs with melodic soloing. This band does all instrumentals, but these are not just instrumentals. They're songs! There's a beginning, a middle, and an end. Great stuff! I couln't get over how talented these three guys are. They sound like they've been playing together for years. The music has a great groove to it, and the soloing is not overdone. It's just enough to make the songs sound great. I can't say enough good things about these guys!
Favorite Tracks: All of them!
Least Favorite Tracks: None”
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MetalMeyhem
“The Fort Collins-based outfit injects its headbanging with humor and occasional Latin-flavored inflections. "Benediction," the album's opener, defies convention with an unlikely swing beat and a brooding narrator who toasts the album's guiding light (a hero named Atomic GasHead) with a round of Molotov cocktails. From that point, the boys shred in spades, showcasing six-string shootouts guitarists Mike Lopez and Derek Maness, while hide-beater Nate Scofield conducts a double-kick clinic. Polished production by local luminary Dave Beegle fleshes out a relentlessly heavy batch of tunes that hark back to the first wave of crunchy metallurgists Megadeth and Testament. Paying homage to Joe Satriani and Steve Vai (along with Avalanche defenseman Adam Foote, during "Into the Glass"), GasHead more than compensates for any absence of a bile-spewing leader. Stripped down to the basics, this stuff still packs a punch.”
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John La Briola, Westword
“Review of Knuckles Avec Sombreros. This Ft. Collins trio continues its ode to "instru-metal" nefariousness with it's second release, and manages to creep you out without saying a word. Despite the eye-rolling name, GasHead delivers tight, vehement tracks, featuring expeditious percussion by Nate Scofield and righteous riffs from tag-team guitarists Mike Lopez and Derek Maness. "Atomic GasHead" bears traditional hardcore elements, similar to Pantera and Megadeth, getting listeners pumped and pitiless. "Entangled....Spooky At a Distance" offers an exception to the instrumental theme with a guest vocalist --- Satan. Between the double-bashing drums and precise axe-shredding, GasHead drops what fans, bored with the current state of metal, have been craving for.
”
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Tamara McCollough , Hyperactive Magazine - #7
“The originals are up-tempo rockers that are uplifting and expressive without being too weighty for their own sake. The covers include a balls-out expanded heavy duty version of George Lynch's guitar solo track "Without Warning" while a fairly faithful rendition of Def Leppard's instrumental classic "Switch 625" gets an honest treatment from the band. Technical proficiency doesn't get in the way of having fun with these guys. GasHead show a strong sense of humor (despite a lack of lyrics/vocals except for the intro track) and playfulness missing from most artists' outward musical expressions. There is a lot of joy expressed on "Knuckles Avec Sombreros" and it's nice to hear for a change.I thoroughly enjoyed "Knuckles Avec Sombreros" and if you are the slightest bit interested in guitar instrumentals that GasHead are worth checking out.”
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Christopher Kelter, Rough Edge Reviews
“GasHead - LandSpeedRecord . Instrumental rock guitar and it's fabulous stuff. With electric guitar from Mike Lopez and guest appearence from Fourth Estate's Dave Beegle, this is a surging ride through rock guitar greatness, including a roaring cover of the Scorpions "Coast to Coast". If you are into rock guitar, then this is simply stunning stuff and one of the best of it's kind in a while.
”
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Andy G, Andy G Services - Scotland
“November 2003 Issue
Also on Hapi Skratch is an excellent 2003 CD from the Colorado-based GasHead, entitled "LandSpeedRecord". Propelled by the blazing electric guitar work of Mike Lopez and the drumming of Nate Scofield, GasHead's metal-rock instro sound is further filled out by a number of players including guitarist Dave Beegle, who also co-produced the 9 track instrumental set with Lopez. GasHead really smokes and the CD features excellent cover art to boot. ”
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20th Century Guitar
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