Opening up with the powerful statement that ‘last year, 39,603 people died from gun violence in the USA’, ‘THiS is AMERiCA’ is a powerful indictment of gun culture and bloodshed from the California-based metallers INSiGHT. Once a six-piece, and now effectively the solo-project of multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Dave, INSiGHT drive hard-hitting, hard-riffing metal in the style of Machine Head, Pantera, Metallica, or the late, great Randy Rhoads.
Grinding and thundering like another sadly-lost guitar hero, Dimebag Darrell, Dave’s guitar tone is all heavily-scooped gain-cascaded chug and grind, the vocals alternately nonchalant and angry, mumbled or growled over rumbling bass and heavy blast-beat drums. It’s a potent mix, the angry, disbelieving message of the track made all the stronger by the stomping grind of the riff, like Pantera’s ‘Walk’ or Machine Head’s stunning ‘Davidian’. Boosted by the potent animated lyric video, ‘THiS is AMERiCA’ is a strong introduction to INSiGHT’s forthcoming album ‘GEMiNi: The Light And The Dark’.
Check out ‘THiS is AMERiCA’ on YouTube, and follow INSiGHT on Facebook and Instagram.
Review by Alex Holmes