Curse The Son - "Isolator" (Album Review) & Exclusive Album Stream

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 18/03/2016

Label: Snake Charmer Coalition

Massive fuzzy riffs, wailing vox and swinging rhythms abound from the off.  The production is spot on; nice and live sounding with care and attention applied (double tracked vocals) to make the record sound thorough and mapped out. The title track shows all of the aforementioned in abundance. Ron Vanacore delivers his vocals with full conviction, all the while laying down tar thick riffs. “Gaslighter” is more Sabbathian with its swinging riff and plodding pace. Overall this is a very strong record which mixes doom and stoner in equal amounts to equally great effect.

“Isolator” CD//DD track listing:

1 Isolator
2 Callous Unemotional Traits
3 Sleepwalker Wakes
4 Hull Crush Depth
5 Gaslighter
6 Aislamiento
7 Side Effects May Include....

The Review:

Connecticut's finest return with their third full length. This is stoner doom in the vein of Sleep, Electric Wizard and Sabbath. Massive fuzzy riffs, wailing vox and swinging rhythms abound from the off. There is actual bass playing too! The production is spot on; nice and live sounding with care and attention applied (double tracked vocals) to make the record sound thorough and mapped out. The title track shows all of the aforementioned in abundance.

After that barnstorming opener, you are hoping that the record will continue in the same vein... and it does. Even though that “Callous Unemotional Traits” is slower and more doomy, there is still a lightness of touch to the delivery (you can hear the left foot of Mike Petrucci on the hi hat keeping time! You don't get much of that these days- Ginger Baker would be proud) which makes the track feel quite airy and expansive. Ron Vanacore delivers his vocals with full conviction, all the while laying down tar thick riffs.

“Sleepwalker Awakes” is very low and quite slow- heavy stuff with an insistent and pulsing beat for the opening riff. There is a nice change of pace with mellow vocals and a more stoner and less doom verse section. It is a cracking track, with a strong vocal melody. “Hull Crush Depth” is a fairly mellow affair with thickness in parts, but relatively reserved in terms of attack.

“Gaslighter” is more Sabbathian with its swinging riff and plodding pace. “Aislamiento” features inventive hi hat and bass work as the band get into an almost jazzy feel for parts of the track- with weighty sections elsewhere to balance things out.

The album finishes with “Side Effects May Include...” which brings back the swinging feel of the title track over a longer playing time with a strong hook. The excellent bass sound is a bonus to the record generally, while the style of the music should satisfy fans of bands as varied as Pentagram and Fu Manchu. This is a very strong record which mixes doom and stoner in equal amounts to equally great effect.

“Isolater” is available to here and check out this exclusive full album stream below

Band info: facebook