Review Summary: Catchy, raw, full of energy and with as much Slayer influence as you'd assume from the artwork, Insane deliver one of the most fun thrash albums around.
Thrash is a genre which subsists on energy. Sure, there's often progressive influence, awesome solos, and almost always driving riffs, but without force behind those elements, it's ultimately a bit of flop. As a result, thrash tends to work best when it's at its most energetic - classics like
Demolition Hammer's Epidemic Of Violence or
Razor's Violent Restitution thrive on their feeling of both speed and raw, crushing power. But while thrash often works best at its most extreme, sometimes a spirited and catchy romp like
Insane's Wait and Pray can do the job pretty damn well.
Insane is very much a product of its influences, or rather singular main influence,
Slayer. As if the artwork wasn't enough of an indication already, the band revels in the slightly melodic sound of very early Slayer, with basic but thrilling riffs thrown about at quite some velocity and some wild solos overlaying the fairly simple rhythm section. While instrumentally it's nothing special, it's the general entertainment value of the release that sees it through. Through an effective use of catchy choruses, great riffs and
really dumb lyrics, it's got little room to go wrong; the only real issue is that it doesn't really deviate from that formula, or even a particular tempo, at all, which does make it seem a little monotonous after a while.
But who really cares? Insane clearly weren't aiming to make a massive musical statement; they'd be far too late for that given that Slayer did pretty much the same thing about 22 years earlier. But there's little doubting the general fun this album offers, and you can't really fault any of the content, and thus it's probably stronger than most of the modern thrash scene.
Recommended Tracks:
Sacrificer
Death By Command
Evil Is At Hand
