Insania formed in 1987, within a year or so of their compatriots in Master's Hammer and Root, and still a few years prior to the relinquishment of Soviet influence in the Eastern Bloc. Brno, the band's place of origin and the second-largest city in Czechoslovakia, was subject to strict authoritarian measures by the government.Like others of their persuasion throughout the world, the members of Insania were drawn to and heavily influenced by bands like Metallica, Slayer, Venom, Destruction, Kreator, Sodom, and Napalm Death. However, gaining exposure to bands such as these in the Cold War era of Czechoslovakia required an additional degree of dedication as a result of the country's socio-political reality. The process for disseminating such forbidden content involved first obtaining a certain record of this type on the black market, duplicating it manually to cassette, and distributing those copies at a more affordable rate to other fans, given that banned metal and hardcore LPs in this market fetched a premium price. For similar reasons, forming a band of this type presented other challenges in terms of obtaining the necessary musical equipment. The only practical option was to purchase low-quality Czech substitutes for U.S. or British brands at inflated prices. Poor sound quality notwithstanding, "Possessed by Insania" broke ground as the beginning of recorded metal in Czechoslovakia, and it garnered the band a lot of attention from those who had never heard music as heavy and fast.