16th September 2018

Review: “Koi No Umi” EP by Isolate

Leeds Tech infused Metalcore crew Isolate have been making a name for themselves in recent months. Playing shows with the likes of A Night In Texas, Harbinger and Raised by Raptors since the release of “Koi No Umi”, their debut EP. “Anemnesis” starts off with an eerie and atmospheric synth passage that brings a science fiction edge to the band’s sound before the synths become buried in the mix underneath layers of crushing Tech-Inspired guitars. Jamie Dewhirst’s caustic vocals are about as throat shredding as they come. Breaking up the guitars with stuccato passages and breakdowns spins out a solid opening track. “Witness” sees the Isolate joined by On Hollow Ground frontman Jack Flynn for some extra vocal prowess. It’s another brutal slab of Tech-Infusion that has a lot in common with heavier DJent bands… Until the clean vocal passage that sees Flynn take the lead and Dewhirst’s heavier tones add a backing growl. Breaking back with a “Blegh!” brings a heavier section but in truth the song has more elements of a Progressive sound than anything else. The melodies loom large on the horizon, bringing a beauty to the crushing guitar tones.

“Purgatory” takes a step back towards the sound of the EPs opening track with guitarist duo Rob Hemingway and Sam McEvoy dueling Tech-lead parts over stuccato DJent riffs. The surprise is a return to the clean vocal parts. The bounce of the opening riff attack makes way for the melodic parts but the flow is maintained by some killer drum work from Kieran Gotta and driven bass lines from Sam Whitaker. “Sea of Trees” is a short sharp shock of a track that repeatedly punches until you’re banging your head. Bringing things to a downtempo pace and then stopping the guitars for a bass solo of sorts is intriguing in such a short song. After a speech sample about the British Empire from Sir Winston Churchill, buried synths add a depth and haunting quality to closer “Reverie”. A second “Blegh!” in amoungst some crushing downtuned riffage brings things to a brutal finally. The remix is a much of muchness as things go, programmed drum beats with some extra synths and beats thrown in. It seems like an unnecessary addition, almost an afterthought which it probably wasn’t in practice [7.5/10]