Sadist - Sadist

(30 Nov 2010)

There was a time in the early 90s when Progressive Death Metal was not a euphemism for "Wank". A time when Death Metal was all about doing something never done before. Exploring new boundaries. A time when bands like Atheist, Cynic, Demilich, Death and, of course, Sadist, would do something that had never been, and would never be, done before or again.

At that time, Death Metal was not only alive and well, it was beaming. Nowadays, it would seem that Death Metal is alive and well and stuck in a sealed coffin. Most of the music from this great genre that is given much importance is stale and a repetition of what has been previously done. To the public, Death Metal is dead. As any music fan dedicated to the underground would know, Schuldiner's legacy still lives on and grows.

After releasing an okay debut and a classic sophomore just within the edges of what can be defined Death Metal, they moved on to create two nu-metal albums (Crust, which is great, and Lego, which is not). This 2007 self-titled is like an evolution on the 1996 Tribe, and it's definitely in the right direction.

If you get everything that made Tribe good, and double it all, you get this album. The sound is more refined and unique, the synths that perfectly balance a cheap sound with great melodies to create something inexplicably excellent are here, the vocals are MUCH better, and the songs evoke more confidence. All this with a near-perfect production.

I didn't want this. I didn't want to take away Tribe's throne, but it's true. This is a timeless album and the best Sadist album I've heard so far.

Standout tracks:

I Feel You Climb
Kopto
Excited And Desirous
Hope To Be Deaf