Famed for skiing, Innsbruck, Austria, is a pretty unusual location to have spawned a Crossover Thrash band. That said, the thought of the après-ski hoity-toity being brought down to earth by Insanity Alert and their beer-chugging third album 666 Pack (Season Of Mist) upsetting the tourists is a joy to consider.
Armed with a bevy of tracks with titles like ‘Why So Beerious’ and ‘Two Joints’, and with, um, re-workings of some more well-known tracks – ‘Saturday Grind Fever’ is a brilliantly chaotic romp through ‘Saturday Night Fever’ and ‘Mosh Mosh Mosh’ is a great take-off of the infamous nip-slipping Sabrina and ‘Boys Boys Boys’ – the foursome are clearly looking to have a good time.
Eschewing the political themes that splatter throughout some of their American brethren’s albums, the focus is on the fun elements of Crossover and all the expected tropes are harvested with an infectious energy, and no little quality.
‘Chronic State of Hate’, ‘All Mosh / No Brain’ and ‘The Body Of The Christ Is The Parasite’ have some great stomping moments, while ‘I Come / I Fuck Shit Up / I Leave’ showcases the more punky side of their arsenal, and ‘The Ballad Of Slayer’ is a cheeky S.O.D. nod.
As you’d expect by now, there’s nothing on here that Municipal Waste, D.R.I. and their ilk haven’t done before, and when twenty-first and final song ‘Dark Energon’ is the album epic, clocking in at a lengthy shade over three minutes (and featuring an awesome fade-out, album-ending solo) and the majority of songs re over within two minutes, you do know what you’re letting yourself in for.
The shadow of Iron Reagan’s recent belter Crossover Ministry (Relapse) may hang over its head and is a better record, but when the aptly titled ‘A Skullcrushin’ Good Time’ is banging the head that bangs with a hangover with its contagious stomp as Heavy Kevy yelps and spits over a melee of well-crafted Crossover, or when ‘Cobra Commander’ pulls you into a one-person mosh pit, you’ll be forgiven for downing your 666 Pack ,dusting off your ‘Windmilli Vanilli’ and sounding the Insanity Alert.
7 / 10
STEVE TOVEY