There are three reviews of rereleased HEXENHAUS albums in a row. The first paragraph is the same in all three of them, so of you had read one review already, just skip this bit. Mike Wead is a guitarist that is well known for his work with KING DIAMOND and MERCYFUL FATE. What a lot of propel don’t know is that he also was heavily involved in MEMENTO MORI and has collaborated with ABSTRAKT ALGEBRA, BIBLEBLACK and ESCAPE THE CULT. But the start of his career was even earlier than that, in 1987 to be exact, and the name of that band is HEXENHAUS. He was the only constant factor throughout the years, which resulted in four albums in total. The first three of those were recorded before their first stop in 1992 have now been rereleased by the RPM/Roar label. The only that has escaped this feat is “Dejavoodoo” from their second coming, and it was let loose on the world in 1997.

“A Tribute To Insanity” actually was the debut album for the band. Originally released on 17 October 1988, while this one hit the streets on 16 may 2025. It immediately starts with the kind of music that defines HEXENHAUS; Progressive Heavy/Thrash Metal. If you need a reference, think a less extreme version of MEKONG DELTA mixed with snippets of OVERKILL and early METAL CHURCH. That might give you an inkling as to what you can expect. What is very imminent though is the very high quality of the songs that have made the cut for this debut album. Eight songs that come to over 42 minutes, with the absolute champion being “As Darkness Falls”, clocking 10:19 minutes. It is a really long and beautiful bit of music that is set up in such a way that it doesn’t get boring for even one second.

What does help is that singer Nick is able to give every song just the right vocal vibe, adding to the level of suspense and excitement that should come with this kind of music. As this is NOT the first time I ever heard HEXENHAUS (I own the three originals of the albums that have been rereleased) I knew what to expect and as far as I can hear nothing has been changed, except for a proper remastering. That was a good decision. “A Tribute To Insanity” still sounds bloody good. HEXENHAUS might have escaped the attention of many of the listeners when they were first around, I do hope that they will get the attention and appreciation they deserve this time around.