Description

Official Us tape. Clear cassette with white text Universally acclaimed for its unequaled profusion of quality death metal bands throughout the 1990s, Sweden curiously yielded very few worthwhile contributions to the thrash metal wave that directly preceded it in the '80s — Hexenhaus being one of those rarities. Formed in Stockholm, in 1987, the group was helmed by guitarist Mike Wead (real name Mikael Wikstrom) and debuted in 1988 with the highly technical and surprisingly accomplished ‘A Tribute To Insanity’ album, also featuring vocalist Nicklas Johansson, guitarist Rick Meister (aka Andreas Palm), bassist Jan Blomqvist, and drummer Ralph Raideen. All but the latter had previously been involved with Wead in the speed metal act Maninnya Blade. On ‘A Tribute To Insanity’ the characteristics of more inspired song writing were already quite obvious right from the beginning. While there are some straightforward and fine thrashers like ‘Eaten Alive’ and ‘Incubus’, most songs are more ambitious than one would expect to find from an average album. Regardless, there is a strong sense of consistency and continuity on this release, and with harsh vocals and heavy riffs the intensity never really drops. This album shows that Hexenhaus definitely had its own style and they were most likely the most original Swedish speed/thrash metal band in their time. Track listing: 1. It… 2. Eaten Alive 3. Delirious 4. As Darkness Falls 5. Incubus 6. Death Walks Among Us 7. Memento Moris – The Dead Are Restless 8. Requiem