Isaak – Hey

by Mark 'Yeti' Richard · Published August 16, 2024 · Updated September 3, 2024

My first experience hearing the band Isaak was on May17th, 2024. They did a split release with the band Geezer on Heavy Psych Sound Records. I was so impressed with their music that I decided to search for more of their recordings. They released two full length records on Small Stone Records, The Longer The Beard, The Harder The Sound (2013) and Sermonize (2016). I also heard The Choice (2019) EP and last year’s Heavy Psych Sound debut, entitled Hey (2023.) I have become a big fan of Isaak and everything that I’ve heard thus far.

Isaak are from Genoa, Italy and have been active since 2012 under that name. They were formerly called Gandhi’s Gunn from 2007-2012 and released a record called Thirtyeahs under that name. The current lineup is: Giacomo Boeddu on vocals, Francesco Raimondi on guitars, Gabriele Carta on bass, and Davide Foccis on drums. Their album Hey was released on March 31st, 2023 and has eleven songs.

The first song on the record called “Miracle B” is an instrumental using a sample of an infomercial for knife blades. It’s a very clever way to start a recording and displays the heavy and fluid riffing of Isaak. They then go right into the title track “Hey” which starts with drums and kicks right into a nice QOTSA style sounding rhythm. The vocals sound similar to Danzig and works very well. They definitely have a classic stoner rock feel to their music with a hardcore foundation and nice metal riffing mixed in. “OBG” kicks right in and has a punk influence with a catchy chorus. They then go into a nice metal riff and display some fantastic drumming and groovy riffage. The flow of the song is wonderful and the band plays very tight together. I believe the initials stand for “Old But Gold” and I love the positive lyrics on this one. The third track “Except” starts more mellow with clean guitar and deep sounding vocals. The song picks up and builds up naturally into great harmonies and riffing. Isaak reminds me of Red Fang and even Gozu at times but they definitely have their own thing going on. By the time “Rotten” kicks in, the band is just gelling. The heavy groove of the riffs are very apparent and the vocal melodies are memorable and precise with each song. Each part has its moments and fit within the constructs of the whole record. Track six is a cover song from the punk band The Wipers called “Over The Edge.” Isaak really does a fantastic job with this song and makes the song sound like one of their own.

The second half of the record starts with “Dormouse”, another banger of a song. The vocals fit nicely with the music and the rocking rhythm flows throughout. They go into another heavy metal type riff accompanied by a brief guitar lead and then flawlessly back into the main riff. The band certainly has a knack for cool song structures. The crushing metallic end riff is more proof of that. “Fake It Till You Make It” is another mid pace rocker that carries along nicely. The ninth song called “Taste 2.0” has some Mastodonian riffing going on and fills me with delight. “Sleepwalker” plays next and continues to capture the hardcore, rock, and metal essence of Isaak. The melody and delivery in the vocals are apparent on this whole record. Boeddu doesn’t have the greatest singing voice but how he delivers it really makes all the difference. The closing song on the record captures this point. “Goodbyes Are Always Very Sad” starts off slow with bass and Boeddu’s singing but then pushes right into the heavy rhythm. His alto voice fits throughout especially in the deep spoken parts.

I love the message that Isaak deliver. There’s too much negativity and chaos going on in the world today. This is a quote from the band talking about the record.

“HEY puts a point, a point that doesn’t look back but looks inside. HEY talks about our most intimate fears and tries to do it with the irony. HEY is a riffalicious fast-forward stoner rock album. HEY is a manifesto on being fragile and making that fragility a strength.”

I am very impressed with this record. I am excited to hear where Isaak will take their sound next. Each record progresses from the previous and the band have no filler songs on Hey. Isaak are able to push the stoner rock sound to new levels in a very original way. This is definitely a band to watch out for in the years ahead.