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If you are a thrash fan and some of the above guys look familiar, it's because they should be familiar to even the most casual thrash metal fan. /speed\kill/hate\ are made up of 3 members of Overkill. Founder of the band Dave Linsk started writing songs with the intentions of them being used for Overkill. Dave and Drummer Tim Mallare got together to demo the tunes. These songs took on a different direction then the direction Overkill is currently taking, hence the birth of /speed\kill/hate\. Bassist Derek Tailer, also a guitarist from Overkill, was soon added. Linsk contacted his old singer Mario from Anger on Anger, and the line-up was complete.
/speed\kill/hate\ - Acts of Insanity (independent) 2004 1. "Walls of Hate" (4:12) 2. "Setting Me Off" (4:19) 3. "Violence Breeds" (3:32) 4. "Enemy" (4:12) 5. "Won't See Fear" (4:33) 6. "Face the Pain" (4:26) 7. "Revelation at War" (4:01) 8. "Not For Me" (3:15) 9. "Repent" (3:41) |
 Dave Linsk |
I don't know why, but for some reason I wasn't execting "Acts of Insanity" to live up to the hype. I had read on the band's website that this was pure "East Coast Thrash" metal, I knew that 3/5 of the bandmembers were from seminal thrashers Overkill, and I also knew that band ringleader Dave Linsk was a shredder, yet for some reason I was expecting something a bit more modern and more on the lines of all the modern metalcore bands that are currently describing themselves as "thrash." However, /speed\kill/hate\ are the real deal. "Acts of Insanity" is 100% real thrash metal. From the opening note of "Walls of Hate" to the ending explosion of "Repent", the intensity level never drops. Each and every song is packed full of manic guitar riffs, speed, quick double bass, furious guitar solos, and angry, grunt and grind vocals. Even the most intense thrashers like Sodom, Kreator and Slayer have nothing on these guys as far as musicianship, speed and energy. As the song titles suggest the lyrics are fueled by genuine, testosterone injected anger, almost as if the music is therapy and a way to let off a little steam. Unfortunately without decent label backing and marketing this one will be relegated to an underground favorite, which is a shame. "Acts of Insanity" could really be a guidebook to so many on what real thrash is suppose to sound like.