Progress - Disintegration

What Insane presents here isn't so referential as to inevitably elicit an array of thoughtless comparisons, yet the band didn't survive long enough to actually impress its fairly distinctive sound on the minds of metalheads everywhere. So, without going too far, I'll have to say this demo feels like Phobos-era Voivod (sans electronic/industrial touches and almost alt-metal obtuseness) mixed with a bass presence too pronounced and proficient not to bring Primus to mind. Still, the differences which contribute to Insane's relative uniqueness lie within the ostensible noise rock-influence on the guitar work and the fact that, for all of its excellent funk-inspired bass work, every track on this demo is far more aggressive than anything Primus has ever released.

The first full song, "Your Vision", makes all of these points very clear with its deft intertwining of whammy-tinged riffs and aggressively upfront bass licks. The vocals, while not growled or screamed, still have a commanding presence which seems to be true for a number of Polish acts I've encountered. And skipping all the way to the final, titular track, whose lyrics denounce the ills of rampant industrialization, the band shows greater compositional strength and effective use of dynamics with passages moving from heavy bass rhythms creeping beneath suspenseful arpeggios to a closing full-on metal assault perfectly executed with alternations between staccato riffs and deftly placed chorus-laden licks.

This demo--really, an unofficial full-length album--should be interesting for listeners who have ever wondered whether funk, noise-rock and even post-punk elements can be worked into a solid metal framework without sacrificing the aggressiveness and darkness any metalhead demands; this demo proves that such an unlikely musical fusion is possible. So while I suppose that the band's tremendous obscurity makes an argument somewhat irrelevant, the archive's subgenre description of Insane, while true for the band's first demo, does not entirely hold for Progress - Disintegration.