SADIST

It's sad, but at the same time comforting, to be one of the few people who considered a day as a good one when they listened to a new album of a style as little explored as Technical/Progressive Thrash Metal; sad because I wish more people would appreciate the songwriting brilliance that bands like Sadist offer so that more bands would start to consider a career creating this kind of music, but heartwarming because I feel like a lucky individual to be able to enjoy this rare but enriching world from time to time with real expectations without fear that it feels like playing the new Assassin's Creed game giving me the impression of sitting down doing exactly the same thing as a year ago.

Sadist is a band that, from what I've listened to of their discography since their reunion in 2005, hadn't quite hit the nail on the head properly, always iterating and altering the nature of their sound in crucial ways without really finding a middle ground to start creating potential masterpieces (albeit never bringing poor quality material to light), however, it was apparent from the first time I heard the song "Finger Food" that this album was just what I had been waiting for, a powerful album that, in a very traditional way, is based on the roots of Thrash Metal that gave birth to the band, one that had been lost to a certain extent in previous releases, but which in turn, it manages to expand its possibilities by merging with the right progressive elements and a technical instrumental skill that would make bands like Obscura blush. In a way, this album feels like the true evolution of what Sadist and this style of music was always meant to be, and it seems that was the intention all along.

"Firescorched can be described as Sadist 2.0".

TOMMY TALAMANCA GUITARIST AND KEYBOARDIST OF SADIST.

And I must say that it is interesting that Tommy refers to the album in this way because, practically, every element that composes it reflects that feeling, the present instrumental variation is a perfect example of it, always keeping in front the progressiveness of the instrumental composition. as a standard (like on "Fleshbound"), consisting of complex and playful arrangements by the guitar (like on "Fleshbound" and "Accabadora") that creates the main melody of the songs without leaving the other instruments to the side. On the other hand, which are mainly responsible for enriching the minute by minute of each song, the synthesizer created surprising but interesting circumstances with its support arrangements and disparate elements integrated as part of the atmosphere (like on "Finger Food" and "Three Mothers and the Old Devil Father"), the bass, led by the infallible Jeroen Paul Thesseling, and the way in which it unfolds, consolidating itself as the main focus at concrete and specific moments where it is responsible for enriching the instrumental composition, avoiding moments of monotony caused by familiarity (like on "Burial of a Clown"), always showing up when one does not expect it, thus creating unforgettable moments in each reproduction, the voice, powerful and heartbreaking on the part of Trevor Nadir, who gives his touch of rage and restlessness to the music at throughout the entire experience (like on "Finger Food"), giving rise to a terrifying but enjoyable essence, and let''s not forget the complex arrangements that drummer Romain Goulon brings to the table, becoming the main pillar of support for the sound without forgetting that the complex handling of drums and cymbals is capable of keeping anyone on the edge of their seat (like on "Trauma (Impaired Mind Functionality)").

It is clear that, instrumentally speaking, this album is simply magnificent, but, as is often the case in albums as ambitious as this one, there is always more than one expects, as is the case with the integration of atmospheric elements that give it his raw but enriching touch to the experience, from small instrumental winks (as is the case in the first verses of "Burial of a Clown" and the bridges of "Aggression/Regression"), to unexpected decisions by the structure of the songs. songs and even the implementation of choirs and female voices (like on "Finger Food"), of whom by the way I could never find her/their name(s) anywhere, each element that makes up the atmosphere in this album feels down to the millimeter and is the best example, not only of how Sadist has implemented these recurring elements in their music, but also how this type of implementation should be handled in albums of the Thrash Metal subgenre, the album "Psychowarriors of Jupiter" by the Spanish band Harmpit being another example of this. All this without mentioning how the composers had the vision to evolve the instrumental composition by combining certain atmospheric elements creating transitions in the middle of the verses to increase the amount of variation present in the album expanding the possibilities to levels not expected in the first instance, but always being able to find new and interesting details that you had not noticed before in subsequent exhibitions (like on "Firescorched").

But I would be lying if I said that there are not certain detriments that limit the experience from being something unparalleled without ceasing to be essential, as is the case of the lack of a qualitative accompaniment in the moments of guitar solos in certain songs (like on "Finger Food" and "Accabadora"), creating a kind of eye inside the storm, instrumentally speaking, but that fails to compensate for this absence with significant elements, neither instrumental nor atmospheric, thus creating moments that contrast negatively, although the transitions of these moments to the rest of the songs to be good or even brilliant.

And it's especially a problem when there are circumstances on the album in which there are guitar solos (like on "Aggression/Regression") or quiet moments (like on "Three Mothers and the Old Devil Father", "Fleshbound" and " Accabadora") that accomplish similar objectives and are constructed in admirable ways, which makes me conflicted about what they really expected the listener to experience in the poorer moments compared to the rest of the album.

A feeling that is more latent especially in the song "Loa", which is responsible for transitioning the first part of the album with the second, but even being the best example of instrumental variation and atmospheric implementation of the entire album, it is true that it feels as if a song from some Frost* album has been lost and ended up on the lines of a Thrash Metal album thus creating a dissonance in the experience, and of course, a better handling of transitions between this song and its neighbors as well as redoing some of the songwriting to better fit the feel of both songs would alleviate the problem, but it''s not the way it's presented in this experience and it would definitely be better without it, especially when (this being a strongly subjective feeling compared to anything else I've said before) the second half of the album isn't as much fun to listen to as the first even though it's instrumentally more complex and is the architect of some of the most essential moments of the album.

However, despite all of the above, Sadist's Firescorched is a revolution for the style in which it is presented without losing what made it interesting in the first place, and this is a statement that I verified at a time when I clicked play on the Watchtower "Control and Resistance" album (which I was listening to as a reference for writing this review) by mistake and felt like I was listening to a weird follow-up to this new Sadist installment, which led me to think two things, that it is an album so faithful to the principle that the original creators of this style outlined, but at the same time, reinforces why I consider this album as the true evolution of it, because although it clearly feels like a fresh album from beginning to end, it's also one that is not afraid to recapture the Thrash Metal core that has always been the identity of the band since its inception.

Rating: 4.5/5

Stylistically the music on "Hyaena" is technical/progressive death metal with jazz/fusion influenced sections and a touch a of world music too. Artists like Cynic, Atheist, and Pestilence ("Spheres (1993)") are obvious influences but Sadist aren't clones by any means. The omnipresence of keyboards for example make them a bit different.

The vocals are snarling and aggressive, which suits the music well and the instrumental part of the music is very well performed too. Sadist are obviously very skilled musicians who know how to handle their instruments. Fusion influenced drumming and bass playing, death/thrashy guitar riffs and jazz/fusion influenced guitar solos, and atmosphere enhancing keyboards. It all works very well (and also better than on "Season in Silence (2010)"), but upon conclusion it's not many tracks which stand out (I'd mention "Gadawan Kura" as a standout track), but it's a highly enjoyable release while it plays. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)

Stylistically the music on the album is technical/progressive death metal featuring aggressive "core" tinged growling vocals. Keyboards also have a dominant place in the soundscape. The riffs are both culled from the death- and thrash metal books of playing. While the album certainly belongs in the technical/progressive death metal camp, Sadist generally restrain themselves, so this is not a tech metal fest and the song structures are generally not overtly complex. Sadist always favored atmosphere over technical playing and continues to do so on "Season in Silence".

The material on the 12 track, 46:34 minutes long album is relatively well written and effectful, but overall it lacks a bit in the memorability department. The band are very well playing, but it´s like they struggle to come up with some really memorable hooks. The general quality of the songwriting is decent enough, but you just get the feeling that musicians of this high class, could have produced music a little more catchy. "Season in Silence" features a powerful and clear sound production, which suits the music well, so it´s a quality release on most parameters. The songwriting does drag my rating down a bit, but a 3.5 star (70%) rating is still deserved.

(Originally posted on Metal Music Archives)

The material here is very strong, but not as much as work by Atheist or Cynic, but I understand that is a hard standard to follow by any means. The music here is very much a mixture of the aforementioned bands; it combines Atheist's frantic writing with the synthesized melodic quality of Cynic, though the synths on this album sound incredibly dated (it's a '90s album, so all is forgiven).

I feel strange about this album -- it's one of my favorites in the jazzy death metal camp, but I don't feel that there are any real standout moments other than short selections of individual songs rather than any single song as a whole. If I had to choose standout tracks, I'd have to say "India", "Tribe", and especially "From Bellatrix To Betelgeuse" are the strongest tracks by themselves. Thought coming off as less complex than their contemporaries, Sadist is definitely a group of talented musicians and they let it show. Also, this album has an epic quality that other groups from this era didn't match up to, and it definitely sounds like a journey through the jungle with frequent passes of ancient temples.

Definitely recommended if you enjoy the jazz death metal of the '90s, or maybe for fans of symphonic prog that are looking for something with a strong metal edge.

This is this Italian band's comeback album after a pretty disasterous album which ended up in Sadist calling it a day for a time. Sadist returned though a released this album. An album they still regard as their masterpiece. It is difficult not to agree with those sentiments.

The album starts with some Middle East melody lines before the metal side of Sadist kicks in. The brutal sound and tracks are somewhere between black, thrash and progressive metal. Their sound is not particular darkened, but it is still dark enough to give a lot of black metal vibes. The core of their sound lays entirely in progressive metal though. That and with some avant-garde sentiments too. The vocals are of the more painful one and will probably turn off a lot of potential fans.

The metal stuff is also softened up by some melodic guitar passages and some piano concerto pieces. This is in the typical black metal mould from the mid-90s. Sadist is not a black metal band by any means, but I just wanted to mention this. I normally find this metal- melodic interlude-metal-melodic interlude pattern pretty annoying and a big turn off for me. Hence, I was never a fan of that scene. But in Sadist case, they have done this pretty clever by having something new and refreshing. A sitar, a piano and some harps. It is good to be surprised now and then.

The quality of the album is very good throughout. Even great now and then. Is this an excellent purchase for a prog rock fan as stated in the reviews guidelines ? Nope. Is it an excellent purchase for a progressive metal fan ? Most definate yes. So that is why I give this four stars. I genuine like this album although this genre is not one I enjoy.

4 stars

This album caused a sensation when it was released and were one of the albums who founded the whole extreme prog metal scene. Not to mention the Norwegian black metal scene who lapped up this album and all it's synths and progressive elements.

Eighteen years later............ well, the time passed has not been nice to this album. The music is mid paced death/black metal with darkened death metal vocals. I would even call the vocals black metal vocals. They are not like Peter Gabriel clones, let me put it this way. The music is mid paced and has a lot of progressive elements with synths and long, lingering guitar solos.

The sound was and is still a lot better than the tracks here. None of the songs really rise to a level above decent. Yes, it is a classic album and it's place in history should be undisputed. But this album is also a proof of how much the metal scene has moved on since 1993. Hence my lack of enthusiasm for this album.

2 stars

Many years later though, this tape has not survived the test of time. It most of all sounds like German thrash metal with some injections of synths aka Nocturnus. The music sounds untidy and all over the place. The production is not good either. Perfect, it ain't.

The music is pretty bad, but it is a reasonable OK demo tape. It is a demo tape though and Sadist ironed out and massive improved themselves on their first album. But this is a one star release for me, although I have heard far worse demos than this demo.

1 star

This album sounds very dramatical, like Death Metal Opera to be honest (is something like that existing?). Dark atmosphere looms over each track (ranging from haunting to horror ones) and believe me, they don't have so much snow in Italy.

Jingle-like sounds brings Xmas atmosphere, but instead of joy, they wish us merry terror. Unfortunately, later on, this album became re-using of older textures and patterns, although first half was very promising. It's more like follow up then innovation, but when taken like that, it's sufficient.

4(+), very complex looking, sounding and behaving album. Assuming that albums can behave.

although the sounds may not be convincing, expecially if listened after 13 years, the emotional power of this record is still kept in its entirety.

the electronic influences are wisely put into an intricate net of progressive metal structures. Also, the voice is way better than in the previous record.

The instrumental "from Bellatrix to Betelgeuse" is the main spot for me, but every song keeps my attention alive constantly.

Particular mentions also go to "Escogido", which is a breakthrough start for the album, and "Tribe", both being extremely original and intriguing.

I recommend this album to all fans of progressive metal who are not fond of the hypertechnical+highpitchedvoice clichée à-la Dream Theatre.

The music on the album is comparable to earlier excellent releases by Sadist such as Tribe (1996) and Crust (1997) ( especially the latter). Which means progressive death metal with a raspy/ growling lead vocalist, heavy yet melodic guitars and Sadist trademark use of keyboards and an excellent and skilled rythm section. References to acts such as Death and especially Pestilence are obvious IMO.

The production is very well sounding and professional. The sound is powerful and even close to symphonic at times which suits the music well.

Sadist is both a welcome and a powerful return to form for Sadist and they should once again be regarded as one of the leading forces in progressive death metal. A 4 star rating is a matter of course.