We’re proud to announce the release of “Drain”, the new EP from American/international obscure industrial metal project Isolant, and the band's first new release of original material in over seven years since their defining self-titled 2015 debut demo tape.
Coinciding with the EP’s release announcement, notorious alternative and punk/metal blog NO ECHO has premiered the track “Inner Tomb” , commenting how “the trio were drawn together by their shared love for British industrial acts like Godflesh, Scorn, and Coil, to name a few. The percussive assault of Swans and doom metal have also been named as influences on the Isolant sound.” - you can check out the track and their feature HERE.
Formed by original member Max Furst (Malleus, The Watcher, ex-Morne) on guitars, bass and drum programming, and now rounded out by vocalist M. Alagna (Abstracter, Atrament, Ash Prison, Somnolent) and Spanish noisemaker M. Souto (Suspiral, Sepelio, S.E.K.H., Arkaik Excruciation, Excurse, ex-Bodybag), "Drain" sees the elusive experimental metal act fuse the cold and bleak industrial metal of acts like Spine Wrench, Godflesh, Scorn ("Vae Solis" era) and Skin Chamber with the atonal percussive grimness of early Swans, and the crawling heaviness and abysmal atmospherics of death-doom. Subtle stenchcore and crust influences permeate the work throughout, reaffirming the band's conceptual connection and stylistic affinity to a glorious age of British heavy punk and experimental metal that dominated 90's underground music. The result are 6 lightless tracks of misery-infused, death-worshipping, and spine-breaking downtuned crush-depth clad in enveloping atmospherics and scarred with an immanent sense of hopelessness and doom.
“Drain” is slated for a February 24 2023 release on limited edition cassette tape and digital formats worldwide via Sentient Ruin and pre-orders are now available via all our channels.
Isolant was formed in 2014 in Boston MA, by guitarist/bassist Max Furst, vocalist Mark Banfield, and noisemaker Robert Ferent. The band’s name was something Furst came up with as an attempt to personify the feeling of crushing isolation. A self-titled and self-released demo tape surfaced in 2015 brilliantly showcasing the band’s unique, dismal, and dark sound, but Isolant remained a studio only project which fell apart soon after as members parted ways due to personal and scheduling reasons. However, unreleased and incomplete demos were recorded by Furst for a planned followup to the demo tape which still contained final contributions by Ferent, but remained buried and unpublished for years in the wake of the band’s premature dissolution. Long time Isolant fan and Furst’s California-based friend and vocalist Mattia Alagna asked to review these demos. Impressed with the work, Alagna urged Furst to complete the recordings with himself on vocals, and the new partnership also lead to bringing on board Spanish noise-maker Miguel Souto to add further electronic touches to the then still incomplete tracks. The new EP, titled “Drain” was completed remotely by the new lineup during 2022 and then sent off to Will Killngsworth of Dead Air Studios to be mixed and mastered for a 2023 release via Sentient Ruin.