This past Saturday was the 2-year remembrance of the passing of Insanity drummer Bud Mills. The guy was pretty shredding on drums, even when the band started out in the early 80’s. His early use of the blast beat helped the band gain some notoriety in the death metal circuit, as you’ll see here in the bands bio:
Formed in 1985, Bay Area band Insanity were instrumental in metal’s evolution from thrash to death metal. Drummer Bud Mills was a big reason why, as his so-called “1-1″ beat presaged the modern blastbeat. The band’s sound more than lived up to its name. Not only did it crank thrash up to frenzied warp speeds, it also displayed chops well ahead of its time. Insanity were legendary worldwide in the ’80s metal tape trading circuit, with members of Carcass and Napalm Death citing them as an influence.
There have been quite a few bands beset by medical tragedy and Insanity knows the circumstances well, as this is their second member to lose their life to disease. Here’s to the hopes that one day all musicians get the proper care they deserve.
This video is taken at Mills’ last show with the band at a 2007 show in Los Angeles:
