It all started in 2002 with the demise of Mike Lopez's band Eve’s Drop. Mike wanted a challenge, and instrumental rock guitar seemed the stiffest, especially given the long shadow cast by area legends Fourth Estate. Mike recruited drummer and fellow manufacturing-plant employee Nate Scofield to record the first CD, LandSpeedRecord (Hapi Skratch Records, 2003). LSR started a long streak of outstanding reviews for the band and featured a set that included hints at thrash, a Van Halen-ish hoedown, and a Spanish-themed number. The second track, Submarine Limousine, ended up on an instrumental compilation from the east coast called Quintessence and also brought home the group’s first Hapi Skratch award for best instrumental rock track of the year. Mysterious Dead Orleans was chosen to compete for rock instrumental of the year in the 2004 Just Plain Folks international music competition. For live shows, Mike asked long time friend Derek Maness to help out with the rhythm section. Fourth Estate member and studio musician Mike Olson completed the live line-up in addition to playing bass in-studio on most GasHead releases through 2007.
2005 saw GasHead release its ultimate thrash instro-metal CD with the humorously titled Knuckles Avec Sombreros. This time around GasHead had become more than just a project, the core of Mike Lopez, Derek Maness and Nate Scofield was truly a band. Knuckles displayed the direction the three were heading: heavier rhythms. The sound was akin to Satriani being influenced by the Bay-area thrash scene from the eighties. As progressive as the band could be at times, even the uninitiated listener was captured by the band’s groove. There was only one thing holding GasHead back -- a full-time bass player. That would come, but not before the band made the giant decision to include a vocalist in the mix. It was hard to turn their backs on what they had accomplished in the instrumental genre to this point, but perhaps they knew somewhere in the back of their minds that a new level of synchronicity was around the corner.
Kronow’s James Brennan was a label mate with GasHead and a like-minded Testament fan. He agreed to cut a couple newly written songs with the band to serve as a recruiting tool. Juarez, in particular, gave the band the confidence that they could in deed write a kick-ass metal song. Before long, Josh Purdy, who had at one time sung for The Mandrake, joined the band onstage to perform Testament’s The Preacher, and the band was impressed enough to offer him the gig.
Then in 2007, GasHead dropped The Isolationist, a CD that made instant fans wherever there were ears present. Purdy brought a three dimensional voice to the proceedings. At times, he flashed a punkish snarl (Dissolve), in another moment he layered proto-thrash screams and growls, and to top it all off, Josh occasionally sang in a slightly angular attack, a la Maynard Keenan. It was a perfect marriage for the riffs the original three had cooked up. About halfway through the recording, the band was also able to snag that elusive full-time bass player as Justin Vaughan came aboard in time to record such important tunes as Speak and Divide, Summer of Man’s Best Friend, and the well-chosen cover of Grip Inc.’s Ostracized. The Isolationist would capture another Hapi Skratch award, this time for best metal release. Local and national reviews were coming in and it was an unquestioned favorite among critics. There was a lot of credit to be shared. Nate Scofield rightly cemented his status as one of the elite metal drummer in all of Colorado. Creative, technical, and passionate about his instrument, Nate has, from day one, been indispensable to the music that Mike and the band write. Derek came off of Knuckles having contributed about half the solos on that CD, and he helped turn Juarez and Dissolve into a couple of the most highly regarded tracks. Mike had also ramped up his visibility as one of the most prolific artists in the state, and he was turning more heads for his guitar playing with every gig the band played. It was five members all taking forward steps in their own right. The GasHead sound was flourishing.
Recently, GasHead has turned in what could be argued as its hottest release, the 2009 CD/DVD Seething Apparatus [EP]. The hookiest slab of metal since Juarez, lead-off number Mind of God seems destined to propel the band into new strata of recognition. The performances are all of The Isolationist and then some. Twice the thundering drum work, twice the ripping solos, twice the vocal personality, more meaty riffs per square inch. If that wasn’t enough, a DVD featuring the bands’ first official music video is included. Justin filmed and edited a visually arresting video for Speak and Divide (from The Isolationistt) while he was in school at Colorado State University. The band expects the package to get a lot of attention.
Looking forward never requires much of a crystal ball for GasHead. The band can write songs in their sleep, so the next riff monster is always just around the corner. The songs pull the leash and band follows right behind with its trademark growl. To borrow a line from Summer of Man’s Best Friend, “Suburbs, they will masticate”. Don’t say you haven’t been warned.

Source : http://www.gasheadmusic.com