Strange and unique take on thrash, but stumbling around in the dark
If imitation is the highest form of flattery, then Critical Insanity - a band of thrashing youngsters roaming the streets of Poland - haven't found anyone worth flattering. Or perhaps they've instead opted to truly try and be different, which in a way they have succeeded in with their 2013 full length demo Through the Infinite Darkness.
Describing Critical Insanity's sound is, on a superficial level, quite easy; Gunning all engines, it's just full speed ahead through the barren wastelands, crashing through the radioactive ruins of 80s thrash metal with guns blazing to the sound of tightly knit no-nonsense guitars and drums beating like the cylinders of a revving diesel engine. At a glance, this is standard thrash.
Describing Critical Insanity's sound is, on a superficial level, quite easy; Gunning all engines, it's just full speed ahead through the barren wastelands, crashing through the radioactive ruins of 80s thrash metal with guns blazing to the sound of tightly knit no-nonsense guitars and drums beating like the cylinders of a revving diesel engine. At a glance, this is standard thrash.
"like a stalker lurking outside your window,"
But if we peel off the outer layers of Critical Insanity's musical onion, we can take a peek at their inner workings. The vocals are oddly creeping, like a stalker lurking outside your window, noisily touching himself as you're trying to sleep. This pseudo-melodic half-crooning somehow fits the slower paced songs like Goblet of Gore, but at other times seems misguided when paired with higher tempos.
The compositions in themselves are immaculate - Their skills as songwriters won't be called into question. It is the execution, the general aesthetic, that is bothersome. The bass fulfills its thankless role with enthusiasm, providing volley after volley of the thrilling rumbles that metal builds upon. The riffing is brutal and fast. All the fundamentals are accounted for. But the more fancy-tickling aspects gleam in their absence.
A few tracks adequately fills the void of boredom created by the majority of the demo, but only just so. With nine tracks, the FUCK YEAH moments are too few and far apart. With this dog-eat-dog world with hundreds - if not thousands - of awesome new bands, there is little room for a band like Critical Insanity which stumbles around a bit too much between each good idea.
6/10
Released in 2013 independently
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