Crust

My first exposure to Sadist was through “Tribes” some time in 1996, and I instantly fell in love with this multi-layered progressive death metal fiesta. There was one thing that I considered an unmitigated setback, though: the lush use of keyboards which stifled at times the clinical technical riffage, making the album sound like one big gothic melodramatic symphony at times. Everyone likes gothic melodrama, there’s absolutely no second opinion about it, but I tried to imagine how such an approach would sound like if the keyboards were reduced by a few notches...

And I didn’t have to strain my imagination too much as the album reviewed here became a fact just a year later. If “Tribes” was beaming with optimistic youthful enthusiasm largely thanks to the uplifting keyboard sweeps, this recording is a most bleak, claustrophobic, nihilistic one, the cleverer, more proficiently executed analogue, from an emotional perspective, to the second wave of black metal that was already past its zenith at the time. And yet it’s an absolutely compulsive listen, a masterpiece of amorphous, multifarious metal which simply wasn’t fair anymore to be labelled as just “death”. This is actually the first genuine extreme progressive metal opus in the annals of music. It’s amazing at the time to hear how quickly the band had outgrown their death metal roots, if they ever had any in the first place provided that the debut was pretty much a thrash-fixated “Anacrusis meets Coroner” riff-fest. And it’s back to the roots to some extent on the opening “Perversion Lust Orgasm” which unnerving staccato riffs sound like the mutated, modernized version of Coroner’s “Divine Step” from “Mental Vortex”; haunting keyboards are inevitably inserted at some stage although it’s the jarring macabre guitar work that does the major damage carving deep incurable burrows in the listener’s brain. Agonizing, tortured clean semi-recitals help Trevor Nadir’s hellish Kelly Shaefer-esque rasps to deepen the already dense oppressing atmosphere. “The Path” adds more stylish thrashisms ala the mentioned Swiss masters again, the initially instilled dynamics gradually dissipated into surreal doomy landscapes, both sides alternating the whole time to a disorienting dramatic effect.

“Fools & Dolts” gives full freedom to the keyboards for a start, and the mazey meandering riffage later perfectly fits the melodious configurations which encounter quiet atmospheric interludes along the way and a nervy scratching, bass-dominated rhythm-section taken straight from Atheist’s “Elements”. “Holy…” would be either a most pleasant surprise, or downright repulsion being a strictly keyboard-infused, all-instrumental “opera” to these ears a thoroughly mesmerizing respite which “Tribes” featured aplenty. It only lasts for about 4-min so there shouldn’t be too many disgruntled fans, especially after the following “Overiotomy” is such an arresting twisted extravaganza the sterile, mathematical riffs preparing the audience for a possible futuristic Meshuggah-esque showdown; but no, this is a much more energetic, also melodic, listen containing the most orthodox section on the album as well. Completely unpredictable stuff which goes further down the rabbit hole with the echoing tribal drums on “Instinct” which later transforms into a surreal accumulation of creepy operatic atmospherics that occupy a healthy portion from this number which eventually returns to the clever technical death/thrash carnival the latter carrying on in all its splendour on “Obsession-Compulsion”, a spacey hallucinogenic “nightmare” the smattering clinical riff applications alternating with serene dreamy sceneries in the best tradition of Aftermath’s “Eyes of Tomorrow”.

The title-track is a meditative instrumental which would serve as a needed tool for relaxation also coming with a much more philanthropic aura. “I Rape You” possesses one of the most memorable “riffs vs. keyboards” beginning in metal history, an instantly recognizable signature which leads to a heavy modern rifforama spiced by unobtrusive bass burps; awesome technical thrashing follows suit the keyboards from the beginning returning at every opportunity to sustain the beautifully sinister atmosphere which gets another precise intricate riffy “baptism” in the second half as a finale. “Christmas Beat” may sound like a goofy joke piece title-wise, and the tantalizing keyboard-driven introduction may indeed bring Santa Claus and the dwarves at your door even on a scorching summer day; not for long, though, as the cold dispassionate rhythm-section tears all Christmas presents to shreds not without the help of a brilliant more intense section which would make even Mekong Delta and Target proud; the charming keyboard variations return at the end, but to no avail... there will be no presents for Christmas this time; just oppressive, gloomy, sombre beats of an excruciatingly “sadistic” nature.

If it’s not for the characteristic use of the keyboards and partially for the raspy sardonic vocals, one may have problems recognizing the good old Sadist behind these schizophrenic apocalyptic landscapes. The more expressive, riff-driven delivery sides it more readily with the debut than with its immediate “tribal” predecessor although the more modern guitar work steers the album towards other “shores” where classic thrash/death heroisms may not be the audience’s first choice. Still, there were absolutely no hints whatsoever at this “Lego” that was assembled on the next instalment, and that took the band away from anything they had composed previously. Not a single Sadist album had sounded like the previous one, but no one ever envisaged such a drastic change, especially with the coming of the old school back in vogue at the time.

Whether the aforementioned “Lego” was a career suicide is debatable, but the guys did take a time off to rethink the new situation now that it wasn’t fashionable anymore to chase swiftly evaporating numetal glories at the dawn of the new millennium. It took them seven whole years to come up with a solution, and it came in the form of the self-titled opus. The title was already an indication of the band’s intention on going back to what they could do better than anyone, creating encompassing progressive vistas, that is, and this was exactly the case. This was also their first full-blooded death metal opus, and a milestone in the genre at that. Two more strong efforts followed suit the band finally establishing themselves on the forefront of the metal world in Italy, and also worldwide, going strong in the new millennium also leading other talents (Karnak, Will’o’Wisp founded by former Sadist members) “marching” behind them; acts who have based much of their discographies on these “sadistic” trajectories.

Still, this rusty… sorry, crusty piece of art in their discography remains unsurpassed; it sticks like a sore thumb amongst the friendlier, warmer approach epitomized on the rest, standing as a testimony that an artist is able to outdo him/herself when “painting” with more depressive, darker shades. Because it is out of creative negativism that the finest pieces of art have been created, and this oppressing, claustrophobic, immaculately crafted “jewel” can only be one of the most undisputable proofs to this uncarved in stone rule.