Chemical Exposure

Sadus's Illusions (or Chemical Exposure, if you will) is quite possibly one of the most brutal metal albums of all time. Now, there are a lot of different ways of brutality, like Demolition Hammer's Epidemic of Violence, Dark Angel's Leave Scars, Slayer's Reign in Blood, each thrash band added their own spin to what their attempt was to push the limits of this deranged and filthy genre of music. The aforementioned albums are both masterpieces, but this one might have done it. Objectively, even though this is not my favorite brutal thrash album, I have to admit, logically, these guys did it. These guys might have released the most over the top, most insane, most brutal, most extreme thrash album of all time. And they did it just masterfully.

As you can see, the title of the review is not the most proper way of starting a review, but that's all I remember from the opener to the album, "Certain Death". That song really sets the tone for what's coming with its SUPERSONIC pace, and just pure insane vocals. When you think they're about to take a break, the riff at 2:30 breaks through your speakers like an 18-wheeler would run through a car blockade at the speed of 95 MPH. The entire song is just pure thrash-death madness, but it still doesn't lack the creativity from the riffs. The song still doesn't become monotonous, even though playing notes at this speed is well, not easy let's put it that way.

The album as a whole, well, it's difficult to describe. It is quite possibly the most brutal, most chaotic, most mind-warping metal assault on one's eardrums that was ever initiated by mankind. The thing about other brutal albums like Reign in Blood, Epidemic of Violence, Leave Scars, Darkness Descends, and others, is that they are systematic. There is still "order" in those albums, there is a great deal of organization and just cleanliness when it comes to the drumming, timing, everything is well-calculated, etc. Well, not this. This album is very unique in the sense that it really isn't trying to be "proper". This is fucking PRIMAL, without attention to detail, without magnificent timing, without perfect sync, but guess what... No one cares. This album grabs the instinct animal of the listener, and doesn't let it go until the haunting final instrumental track of the disc. With its speed, its sheer intensity and bloodthirst, it already strangled the listener to death and back to life about 8 times by the third track, without having any chance to observe the timing or sync.

Let's take a look at the musicianship behind this absolute monster of a release. The axemen are Darren Travis (also on vocals), and Rob Moore. The guitar work is quite remarkable actually, because one would think that an album on speeds like this would not be able to remain interesting and colorful enough, I mean what can they come up with that'd be sufficient for the entire length of the CD? They will run out of riffs sometime in the middle of the album... Well, these two guys defied all odds, and made this record an absolute riff-factory, and they really thought outside of the box. Many times, the riffs enter very high parts of the fretboard and involve a lot of high notes. This is not conventional, but it works just absolutely magnificently. This adds to the brutality and horror of the record, and they had to turn to something resourceful if they were serious about this album. The solos are just plain insanity, sometimes it sounds like there are three different channels of just distorted chromatic yet somewhat half-intelligent madness, the sound they create very well communicates what it would feel like to get fired at by the enemy on the battlefields and run to hide behind something.

The drummer, Jon Allen... This guy is just out of this world, the tone of his drums are perfectly raw, and he presents a number of different patterns and paces throughout the record. His playing speaks of great creativity and musical skill. Steve DiGorgio needs no introduction, his unique and pitiless bass lines are an essential element to the penetrating power of this release. Without the deep, rumbling bass, this wouldn't be what it is. And then, of course, let's not forget the vocals. One of the reasons why I could never get into the depths of extreme music is the vocals. A ton of "vocalists" in the genre sound alike, though mainly in genres like brutal death metal, grindcore, and so on. Well, on this album, which certainly deserves to be called an "extreme" release, the vocals are unbelievable. I never heard anything like this before in my life, but I mean never. Listen to "Torture" from like 0:49... I have a hard time finding ways to describe what can be heard. In the best way possible, this dude is insane. The level of aggression and hatred he is able to present is yet to be topped by anyone I ever heard.

Now, on to the lyrics. It's not like you can understand the lyrics as you listen to the record, maybe occasionally. The album is full of insane, aggressive, deranged lyrics, that paint extremely disturbing levels of horror in front of you. For example, check out "Certain Death". Or better, check out "Undead". The guys who wrote this must be quite passionate about these topics, to say the least. However, the mere creation of these lyrics wouldn't be all that dark, without the fascinating delivery. The way vocalist Darren Travis delivers them is what really takes them over the top.

It is hard to put this disc into words. If there is a thing called "ultra thrash", this should be the only record that falls under that category. This record is not to be listened to at all times, as it's far too dark or brutal, even for the most morbid of thrashers. At times, the album is outright scary, it takes the listener deeper into the pains and sources of evil and suffering than anything you've ever experienced before. It is It's not something you just put on for fun, when everything is totally fine. There's absolutely NOTHING normal, conventional, usual or generic about this. Nothing pretty, nothing aesthetically pleasing, nothing even remotely close to any of that. However, there is a time and place for this album. Based on what is written in this paragraph, this album shouldn't work. It shouldn't be effective.

Yet it is the most effective one at what it was intended to do. It describes the suffering, the excrucisting, penetrating, sharp pain of a human mind. It is a question whether anyone in music history took brutality, heaviness, musical violence, musical gore, extremity and intensity any further than this. My guess is no, and no one ever will.

"Ever lasting Intensity
Perpetuating Destiny
Excruciating Agony
Certain Death"