INSANITY - Visions Of Apocalypse
December 16, 2015, 8 years ago
(Unspeakable Axe/Dark Descent)
The Bay Area's Insanity have a cool thing going on, and it's a bit of a surprise given this is on Dark Descent (vinyl version; CD on Unspeakable Axe): the band is way thrashier than most of their labelmates, the sound definitely bringing to mind prime-era Sadus, but with a significantly more raw production. It works: great tunes like “Disillusioned” bringing to mind swift, energetic Death, with the cool drumming and vibe recalling the mighty Hellwitch, no small feat.
Speaking of drumming, Insanity's claim to fame is having some early stakes in the development of the blast beat, so even though this band is hardly prolific, there's some history there, and while you spend the next hour researching blast beats online for the hundredth time in your life (uh, not that I just did that), you'll have a great soundtrack here to help you out. Get a load of the very heavy “Tired” or the tech-y “Blind”, a killer late-album combo that helps keep this one a solid listen from start to finish. Super wise move having the production be as raw as it is, the band's charm fully in the underground appeal of it all, the near sloppiness but total control, the thrash and death and tech all mixing together in a great way, that Sadus tempo racing the listener to the next destination in their now-white-knuckle-driven day.
