20th May 2025

Review: “Reside Infernus” by Insult

“In an era where music is increasingly shaped by the digital world, we decided to take a different path. Reside Infernus was produced without relying on the automated tools that many artists use today. Every riff, every lyric, every beat was crafted organically, driven by emotion, experience, and a deep connection to the art of making music. The result is something that speaks with authenticity—an album that breathes and roars rather than merely exists as a by-product of technology. We hope you enjoy it.” ~ Insult

A long gestating project that has roots back to the mid 80’s, Bristol Thrash Metal act Insult were brought back to live in 2022 with a desire to complete their unfinished business. Originally they had built their reputation as a live covers band but the passage of time has brought with it inspiration, so a debut album with seven original pieces of work has been offered up by the quintet. Former Onslaught rhythm section Steve Grice on drums and Jase Stallard on bass alongside Onslaught roadie Jase Howell on vocals have a long history of working together and form the spine of the band, guitars are handled by axe wielding duo Robbie Harris and Jonny Fifield…

Usually vice of Extreme Metal bands, an eerie introduction of synths and Gollum like voices brings the album to life as the conjoined twin of the title track. In the current era most bands would have split that off as a separate piece but Insult go against the grain before diving head first into Thrash Metal riffs with Traditional Heavy Metal roots, blasting away the cobwebs in style. Howell has a gnarly quality to his voice, his naturally gritty bark having the air of someone who could have at one time been a snot nosed punk. What makes it tick is the interplay between the musicians, the powerful rhythmic section providing the covering fire as the riffs run the gauntlet. Influences in 80’s Hard Rock and Hair Metal fuel “Bloodthirsty” as Insult sound like Exodus covering AC/DC, pulling a ripper of a solo out from the magicians hat, not to mention a funky bass line. It’s not the polar opposite of the evil of the opening track but its certainly different enough to raise an eyebrow and Insult let the good times roll. That mantra continues into “0-60 ‘Death or Glory’“, a track which sounds like it was stolen from “Fang Bang” era Wednesday 13 with Ramones influences like greasy paw prints all over it. Cheesy enough to be on the Devil’s jukebox, it’s surprisingly catchy and if you’ve got a love for nostalgia then you’re in for a treat. Coming full circle back to the start “Holy War (Sea of Tears)” returns to a more serious sound, crunchier riffs and mid tempo darkness prevailing. A layered vocal for the line “as the holy war rages on!” is a nice touch, as is the almost tribal drum pattern that repeats as the track plays out.

Returning the to Punk n’ Roll sound “This Life We Despise” rages against the system with Jello Biafra vibes, a face melting solo adding a bit of fire to a cut that is all the fun you can have without a wardrobe malfunction. If it was a one off then it would probably have more impact but as a trick repeated it loses a little of its edge before “Berserker” repeats the pattern with early Pennywise style riffage in the chorus. Fast and loose, this one finds the band embracing the spirit of Motorhead but with a far more polished sound until the final moments, when they pull out a breakdown like passage to end the track on a high. They say that variety is the spice of life and that is definitely the case when it comes to this record, the diversity in the offering fuelling the sense of fun held within. It’s as if previously they weren’t able to express themselves fully, being forced to stick to task, whereas now they have more freedom and they’ve embraced that. A catchy scream-a-long chorus, galloping drums and extended solo make “Broken Mind” a real stand out moment, the razor sharp riffs as earworm as they come. Like some of the earlier tracks, it sounds like they’ve been able to sharpen ideas that have been around a while and here they have turned lead into gold. A cover of “Power From Hell” by Onslaught from the 1985 album of the same name feels like a necessary evil at this point and paying tribute to their rich past, they pull out a ripping rendition of the classic. It seems a little simplistic to say that this was the sonic template for this albums overall sound however its hard to argue that it wasn’t at least the starting point. Overall “Reside Infernus” is arguably the album that you’d expect Insult to create and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that [7/10]

Track Listing