world to accomplish a lot as
we usually had some of the
best reviews in fanzines we
were in.
Those who are into the
Underground scene in
the mid to late 80s (well
before its mass-inception
in the 90s) must definitely
have heard of INSANITY,
the legendary, yet elusive
thrash metal band.
In the days of snail mail,
information about them
is very hard to come by,
apart from the occasional
inclusion in tape traders’
list and fanzines playlists.
They have no peers in
playing some of the most
furious and brutal stuff
for that time. Their 1985
demo can be considered
revolutionary, with its early
rendition of what we now
called the blast beat and
its intense technical riffing.
We’re proud to make
acquaintance with the only
original member left in
the band (and a Masters
graduate in the harsh
School of Hard Knocks!),
Dave Gorsuch, to talk
about the band’s legacy
and the upcoming stuff the
band is brewing. Let the
bloodletting begins!
Zine - Firstly before we
indulge further into the
interview, let us hear your
first words to all Zine
readers out there. What
is the latest news from
INSANITY you might want
to share with us?
Metal greetings, thanks for
reading. We’ve reformed
and we’ve been writing
a lot and will soon be
recording new material.
We’re also about to give
the official website a long
overdue redesign and will
include some cool new
drummer since reforming in
late 2008. This summer we
started jamming with an old
friend named Sean Riggen
on bass that we’ve been
sharing a studio with that also
jammed with Bud in several
projects as well On guitar
and backing vocals is Mike
Turner, who is also an old
friend that was in a project
with Bud as well as playing
in INSANITY for a couple
years in the late 90’s. I don’t
really feel pressure to keep
the band alive but I do feel
a little responsibility towards
the loyal fans we’ve had that
want to hear new material
or still haven’t had a chance
to see us live. The way
promoters sometimes put
“legends” on show flyers or
thinking about the reputation
the band built makes me feel
more pressure than anything
but that’s a good thing
because it provides even
more motivation to write the
best songs we can as well
as deliver as raging of a live
show as we can.
Zine - How does the loss of
the original line-up members
(Paul Zuniga , Bud Mills)
features and freebies as
affect the band? Paul, I
well as make more new
believe is one of the main
merchandise available.
songwriters in the band
before his demise. What
Zine - I understand it might will be the difference if the
be tedious to speak about
band had not suffered those
the band biography; but
setbacks?
some of the readers I’m
sure are not aware of the
His name was Joe DeZuniga
band. Can you give an
actually. Yes, he and I wrote
insight about INSANITY’s
almost everything and he
early years? How Insanity
designed the logo that was
was formed, your goals,
one of the first “hard to
etc?
read” logos ever. He was also
a good friend and it totally
Well we were all 18 or 19
crushed us when Joe died at
and Keith the bass player
the age of 21. This was also 2
and I had a gig at our high months before Nuclear Blast
school and we asked Joe
records wanted to sign us in
to play it with us because
1987, which I’m sure would
we didn’t have a singer.
have made a huge difference
We decided to form a
in the band’s exposure. I read
band since it went well
a review on metal-archives.
and about 9 months later
com that said his death is the
Bud found us through an
main reason that prevented
ad at the record store. I
Insanity from being known (to
would say that SLAYER
the masses) as THE pioneers
was our main influence but of technical death metal.
we liked the heaviness of
Bud’s death just happened
VENOM and the musical
in 2007 and once again was
ability of MERCIFUL FATE
a crushing experience as
along with the leads of
we became better friends
Randy Rhoads for me
than ever before. We had
personally. We just tried
big plans to re-record the
to make the best written,
2nd album “Visions of
heaviest, most technically
Apocalypse” (with the new
intense music we could.
arrangements we felt rea B