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New cover art by Velio Josto, Mastered by Patrick W. Engel at TEMPLE OF DISHARMONY in December 2020. Play it like it´s 1983? Although Slaves left a mark in underground circles with their self-released album “Insolent Aggression”, the Italian outfit hit an artistic wall shortly after, therefore changing their name in tow with a considerable step forward in terms of musicality. “The name change coincided with the shift from four to just three members”, explains front man Dan. “During our first few years, we went through many line-up changes, particularly with the second guitar player; we never managed to find someone who really fit the bill in order to get the project going. In the end, we decided to go on with only one guitar. For this reason, we felt a need for a clean break with what we had done up to then, and what could have been a clearer statement than dropping the old moniker?” Calling themselves Insane shortly after they´d entered the naughties, the three musicians were quickly picked up by German label Battle Cry Records upon the strength of one single track – ´Death By Command´ on one of the famed “Metal Crusade” compilations, a regular covermount CD of the legendary print zine “Heavy, Oder Was !?” that highlighted unsigned hopefuls. Released in 2005, “Wait and Pray” turned out to be a monster of a thrash record in the vein of “Show No Mercy” by Slayer, who had just confused their long-time fans with “God Hates Us All” and for sure also alienated the trio. “There’s no doubt to the fact that they had been a benchmark for us as a bunch of teens willing to play extreme music without sliding into classic death metal,” the guitarist and singer acknowledges. “However, we also drew inspiration from other lords of the genre: Venom, Kreator, Destruction and Sepultura.” Such influence is definitely audible on the album, albeit covered behind all too broad hints like the manic´War Symphony´, which may not directly refer to ´War Ensemble´ on a stylistic level but fondly point towards it, or the double entente that is ´Die in Hell / Metal Torment´ as a nod towards ´Metalstorm / Face the Slayer´. Dan hits the nail on the head by explaining: “Since the band was so short-lived, you may only guess how it could have evolved further on.” As things went, Insane managed to create a true gem of primal thrash that now comes with a wholly new artwork by Velio Josto (Warlord,Riot V). “It looks amazing – another reason to be thankful to High Roller who are making this re-release possible!” Andreas Schiffmann |