With the release of their brand-new album Toxic Waste Was Everywhere In The '80s, Kentucky crossover thrash maniacs Belushi Speed Ball continue proving that there is nobody quite like them in today's underground metal scene. Packed with crushing riffs, absurd humor, pop culture references and their trademark DIY spirit, the band has built a reputation as one of the most entertaining and unpredictable acts in modern crossover thrash.

To learn more about the new album, the band's creative process and the madness that surrounds the Belushi Speed Ball universe, we spoke with vocalist Vinny Castellano, who was kind enough to answer our questions.

1. The title Toxic Waste Was Everywhere In The '80s is impossible to ignore. What inspired the album title and how does it represent the overall spirit of the record?

The title is a reference to a quote from one of our older music videos, “Can’t Rocksteady without Bebop”. I say it whenever I encourage the band to drink toxic waste. They ask me, “Where did you get toxic waste from” and I say, “Toxic waste was everywhere in the ‘80s”. I thought it was a hilarious quote and always wanted it to be the name for an album. It represents the overall spirit by just being silly fun crossover thrash. That time period in the ‘80s and ‘90s always felt so radical and not serious.

2. Compared to your previous releases, this album feels focused while still retaining the chaos and humor that define Belushi Speed Ball. Did you approach the songwriting differently this time?

We did approach our song writing differently. This is the first time that a Belushi Speed Ball album has been written in a more collaborative effort. In the past, it was me writing majority of the songs. Now we have contributions by all the members, and I feel it was a great step forward in the overall feel.

3. Many crossover thrash bands take themselves very seriously, while Belushi Speed Ball seem determined to have as much fun as possible. Do you ever feel pressure to be more "serious," or is humor an essential part of the band's identity?

Honestly, no. We focus majority on how will the crowd/fans will react to each song. Our whole goal is for everyone to just lose themselves in being a kid again, and to not focus on the atrocities of the real world. There is also a place for serious music. The world needs both!

4. This is the recording debut of bassist Justin McClure and drummer Ben Cotton. What did they bring to the creative process and how did their arrival influence the final sound of the album?

Ben is such a phenomenal drummer, when he isn’t destroying venues in his bands Rose Funeral and SIDS, he has had time to write some incredible thrash with us. He’s super professional and just an amazing asset to the band. He really does a great job of adding to the music and not taking away. A lot of incredible drummers can draw focus to only them. We have been blessed with all of our drummers in the past understanding this assignment. Justin also has been a huge asset to the band, on our previous albums I recorded all the bass. It’s been really amazing to get a phenomenal bassist adding their own touch to everything. Keeps everything fresh, he does a lot of really cool runs that flesh out the songs and make them stand out.

6. You worked with Chase Bensing on production, mixing and mastering. What made him the right person for this release, and what was the recording process like?

Chase has been with Belushi since its inception. He is our original guitarist, and actually on majority of recordings, it’s his guitar you are hearing. I write the guitars, and he records them (he is WAY better than I ever could be). His production work has been incredible, getting compliments from Anthony Fantano and Glenn Frick. As long as he is alive, we will always go with him. Typically in the past we have had Joel Grind doing our mastering, but for time constraint reasons, we wanted to keep it in house. Chase is just as capable of mastering the albums. He is also so easy to work with and always hits dead lines.

7. The artwork by Andrei Bouzikov perfectly matches the spirit of the album. How involved were you in developing the visual concept?

Very, I tell him what I want, and he makes it happy. Andrei is the premiere thrash artist. Every thrash band worth a damn has used him at least once. He has super-fast turnaround, great communication, and always brings our visuals to life. The last 4 albums feature his work. 

8. "All Pete's Exes" features former GWAR guitarist Pete Lee. How did that collaboration come together, and what made you want to dedicate part of the album release to supporting him through the benefit shirt campaign?

We met Pete when we toured with X-Cops. He is such a humble and beautiful person. With just such a great heart. The song is about him inviting us to his house in Dallas, and grilling out for us. He had all these women there helping cook for us, they poured drinks for us, and it was the highlight of that tour. We reached out to him a few months back and asked if he’d like to be apart of it, and he completely delivered!

9. Belushi Speed Ball have built a reputation for doing things that no other band would even consider attempting. From Furby releases to N64 albums and giant Nerf battles, where does this endless stream of ideas come from?

It’s a major creative outlet for me. When I am not writing music, I still have this urge to create. Right now, I am working on finalizing the hand poured Stella Resin Action figures. I have the prototype done, and did not have enough time to sit down and paint the rest, but they will be available soon! It’s been really fun, and a lot of the weird merchandise is because you just want something to exist. Regardless if it is profitable. 

10. Your live shows have become almost legendary for their unpredictability. Have there been any performances where things became even crazier than you originally planned?

Yes, all the time. We have it dialed in now. There have been shows where things have gotten way too disgusting. We one time did two bales of actual hay inside a venue. It wasn’t straw, but hay. Everyone got sick and broke out in hives. Our main goal is fun with, and not fun at. That goes for the venue also, we try to never truly destroy a venue, and always stay to make sure it is clean. We are blessed that Belushi fans help clean up after every show also! It has became part of the ritual. 

11. Many people discover Belushi Speed Ball through the theatrics, but then stay because of the music. How important is it for you to balance the entertainment aspect with strong songwriting?

It is always a balance, the main focus for us is to provide a fleshed-out atmosphere for those attending to just lose themselves and have fun. It’s one of those things too, that we are always revamping. After every set we focus on how it went, what was the response during certain bits, did certain things take too long. Then we try to refine it. One giant adventure!

12. The band has often been compared to crossover legends such as Municipal Waste, Anthrax, Toxic Holocaust and GWAR. Which artists had the biggest influence on this album specifically?

All of those artists. That is amazing to be compared to the legends. That was nail on the head. There is no secret that we rip off Municipal Waste, and our lead guitar player, was in Gwar for 10 years. A lot his playing has those Gwar influences in it, even if he doesn’t realize it. You can’t spend that amount of time writing with a band, and it not to get ingrained in your DNA. 

13. You've been active for more than a decade now. Looking back to 2013, did you ever imagine Belushi Speed Ball would grow into what it is today?

I am so thankful and blessed to have the band become what it is now. When I first started it, I didn’t even plan to play out. It was just initially to make one song. It is crazy how it has snowballed, and just the incredible places it has taken us. I have gotten to see so much of the world and meet so many people, all thanks to this silly generic ass band. 

14. Belushi Speed Ball and Obscene Extreme seem like a perfect match: both thrive on chaos, energy, humor and a complete disregard for convention. How was your experience playing OEF 2024, and did the festival live up to its legendary reputation?

It was INSANE. Playing OEF was a bucket list for me, and when we had the chance we jumped on it. Curby is such an incredible host. He was so good to us and treated us like royalty. And it 100% lived up to it’s reputation. Insane to see all these extreme metal fans from all over the world in one place. Plus we got to hang out in Prague for a week. 

15. For someone who has never experienced Belushi Speed Ball before, what can they expect when they see you live for the very first time?

Expect the unexpected and just be ready for a fun time. Just pretend you are a kid again, and for the next 45minute to an hour have fun. Throw things, make a mess, and mosh to your heart’s content. Hopefully we become your new favorite band!

16. Finally, after the release of Toxic Waste Was Everywhere In The '80s, what comes next? More touring, more chaos, more unusual releases... or all of the above?

Definitely all of the above. We have some show dates we are working, we (fingers crossed) hope to get up to Canada this Fall. We are already working on the next album, and more weird ass merch to come. Thinking about selling bags of Stella’s cat hair.

Thank you very much for your time, and we look forward to following the next chapter of Belushi Speed Ball!

Cheers!