Friday, December 21, 2012

Review: Insinnerator - Hypothermia

My history with  INSINNERATOR, has been well documented on this blog. Long story short, with their first album Stalagmite of Ice, Insinnerator turned this critic into a big fan, stopping me from being such a puss as I embraced the Texas band as the bad-ass thrash metal machine that they are - warts and all.

Did I have a few problems with 'em? Sure, but the music overshadowed any misgivings I may have had at the time.

Now with the release of Insinnerator's new EP Hypothermia, the guys obviously did their homework on their most commonly received criticisms (vocals, production), worked on them, and created a new batch of songs that vanquish any doubts of improvement.

With Hypothermia, we find a meaner, tighter and stronger Insinnerator who took their competence in song-writing and added a ravenous bit of confidence to the mix. Gone are the occasional jagged pieces of awkward vocal timing, replaced now with a rejuvenated style of intensity. It's pure freakin' THRASH, with the crazed-yet-controlled chaos to rival early Kreator and Vio-lence. Not that Insinnerator necessarily sounds like those bands, but it's the essence of the adrenaline-pumping, wild abandon which they capture so well - as if the speed and insanity is juuuuust about to go off track, but is pulled back in to devastatingly kick-ass results.

A perfect example is the opening track Burned Alive, where bassist/vocalist "Brutal" Ben mixes a killer machine-gun delivery with the added gang shouts, weaving a commanding performance through the song's hellaciously fast riffage and explosive drumming.

Well-played dynamics offer up tasty slices of icy atmosphere, such as in the epic Elemental Ice Dragon and the sinister (although ultimately, unnecessary) instrumental Hypothermia.

Kudos must be given to guitarist/vocalist Christopher "Atomic Thrasher" and drummer Juan "Speed" who work so well together, maintaining a distinct sound that can be heard over both of Insinnerator's releases. Such is a positive for a thrash band to harness a unique sound all their own.

Needless to say, I find Hypothermia a killer EP all the way through. If Insinnerator ramped up the bad-assery this much from their first release, I can't wait to experience where they'll take it from here.


Interested? Of course you are! Visit their Facebook page here.

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