Release
date: 27 November 2015 – Vinyl / 6th February 2016 - CD/Digital.
Label: Small Stone/ Heavy Psych Sounds. Released. Format: CD/DD/Vinyl
Sermonize
– Tracklisting
1.
Whore Horse
2.
The Peak
3.
Fountainhead
4.
Almonds & Glasses
5.
Soar
6.
Showdown
7.
Yeah(Kyuss cover)
8.
Lucifer's Road(White Ash cover)
9.
Lesson n.1
10.
The Frown Reloaded
11.
The Phil's Theorem
12.
Sermonize
Band
Members:
Giacomo
H. Boeddu - vocals
Francesco
Raimondi - guitars
Massimo
Perasso - bass guitar
Andrea
Tabbi de Bernardi - drums, vocals
Review:
I
really liked Isaak's debut, 'The Longer The Beard, The Harder The
Sound', when it came out in 2013, and I still do. Great title for an
album, by the way. But somehow they disappeared on me. Why, I don't
know, however, with the release of their sophomore wax, 'Sermonize',
not only do I have the honour to listen to a great new album, but my
interest in the debut has been rekindled and then some. So read on
what my thoughts are regarding the magnificent creation these
Genovese signori have unleashed.
A
fuzzed out early-sounding Soundgarden riff starts off 'Whore Horse'
before the distorted voice of Giacomo kicks in. Short, sweet and
fucked up is all I can say. A hypnotic and pulsating guitar initiates
'The Peak' turning it into a full-blown stoner song of the best kind.
As the bass guitar and drums join I break my neck banging and
thrashing around. All that is taken to a whole new level when signor
Boeddu starts belting out the lyrics. Amazing people, amazing from
the get-go. 'Fountainhead' picks up right where 'The Peak' left off
although a more heavy-ass rock approach is utilized to great aplomb.
And man, the chorus is brutal and crushing in a way I haven't heard
in a while. Largely instrumental, 'Almonds & Glasses' is trippy
and trance-inducing, especially the guitar riffs. Isaak really throws
me out on a space trip if there ever was one.
About halfway through,
the band throws down the gauntlet and go full tilt like there's no
tomorrow. Staying on the spaced-out path, 'Soar' reminds me of The
Melvins performing on top of Vesuvius on the verge of eruption.
Quirky, out there and heavy as hell, you hear! The band calls their
music "twisted crazy stoner metal" and that could be no
more true than on this track.
Oh
yeah, sinister and in your face 'Showdown' buckle down to no one and
it's like Vesuvius as finally erupted, spewing molten lava on us
unsuspecting listeners. No mercy is shown here. In spite of all their
heaviness and craziness, these Italians have a lot of humour. Just
check out their cover of Kyuss' 'Yeah', I mean the original version
is only 4 seconds long, Isaak has cut it down to 1! That, if
anything, shows the guys doesn't take themselves too seriously. Don’t
take me wrong though because Isaak does not fuck around with their
music. But to throw in some humour, breaks the mould and shows the
band are really down to earth, and I love it.
'Lucifer's
Road' follows and is another cover, this time by White Ash. They are
a band I've never heard of, so I can't compare Isaak's
version...which is a good thing. Anyway, this version is more doomy
than anything else on 'Sermonize', at least in the verses. Slower,
more punishing only to switch to cajoling and seductive, everything
explodes in the choruses. Taking a trip out to the Sonoran Desert,
‘Lesson n.1’ has a slightly slower tempo with quite a bit of
Kyuss thrown in and best enjoyed with a glass of Cinque Terre. That
bass guitar has my blood running with its thumping, distorted tone
allowing the band free reigns to trip out. ‘The Frown Reloaded’
is another heavy-ass rocker but mixed with a lot of melody. It kicks
and it bucks like a wild horse until it breaks free about halfway
through the songs. And man, these Italians destroys! Oh yeah, Isaak
are changing things up on ‘The Phil’s Theorem’.
Heavy
psych is the name of the game where the bass guitar and the drums
sets the mood excellently. Francesco’s guitar switches effortlessly
between repetitive, hypnotic riffs and spaced-out solos while
Giacomo’s husky and seductive voice is the last piece in this
psychedelic trip. The title track ’Sermonize’ has the honour of
closing out this fantastic album. Totally different than the rest of
the songs musically, it still elegantly picks up on the psychedelic
approach from ‘The Phil’s Theorem’. Multi-layered soft singing
voices backed by a semi-acoustic and an electric guitar, we, the
listeners are swiftly transported to a different dimension. A place
of calmness and beauty, where peace of mind is quickly reached. A
perfect ending to a perfect album!
What
more is there to say about this wax, than has already been spoken? I
was hooked from the moment I played ‘Sermonize’ and it has grown
immensely with each spin. If you are into the stoner rock/metal
field, there is no hesitating, because this is a must-have. Don’t
hesitate because…well you need it!
To
tie everything together with the beginning of this review, the
release reconnected me with Isaak’s debut. So, I basically got two
excellent albums at the same time. Isaak are a band set well apart
from most others. They play music than has been kind of
over-saturated for a while but they side-step any trappings easily
with their bar to none song writing skills, musicianship and humour.
So go check them out right now!
Words
by Håkan Nyman
Thanks
to Claire at Purple Sage PR for the promo. Sermonize is available to
buy on Vinyl from Heavy Psych Sounds now and CD from Small StoneRecords from 06th February 2016.
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