Swallowed in Black

Techinique is something that can really hamper some band’s progress. Yeah, I know this is an oxymoron, but work with me. I’m talking about the “wank” facet of techinical ability. The kind that makes boring music, just to showcase the musical capability of the people. The kind that composes 14 minute+ songs, the kind that makes you fucking yawn.

Sadus are very techinical. Listening to this album, you can see that all musicans know their instruments exceptionally well, as you can tell by the amazing interplay shown in various parts of the album. But the thing is, you’ll find no wanking here. This is a scary display of pure agression, which shows that intensity can go well with techinque.

The most obvious character about Sadus music here is the speed obsession. Although it’s not 100% fast as Chemical Exposure, the fast riffs and drumming are all over the place. Sometimes they reach a chaotic level of sonic agression (Powers of Hate at 2:43) and yes, this is good. Why? Because it makes the music exciting and you wanting more, although 44 minutes of mayhem are good enough.

The musical hability is glaring. The thrash breaks abound in various speeds, the different riffs, the drummer’s dexterity when complementing the amazing riffs, the extremely fast soloing that still manages to remain interesting, unlike “cat in a blender” (you know who you are) and the bass. The production also helps, it’s very clear, and all the instruments are perfectly balanced. The rhythm guitar sounds great, and so does the double bass drums.

*starts fellating Steve diGiorgio*
The bass deserves its own section. It’s played by none other that Steve diGiorgio. I think Sadus is the band where he truly belongs. His playing at Testament’s The Gathering was overshadowed by the over loud guitars (it’s a shame we lost the chance to see James Murphy and Steve togheter) In Sadus, he has all the highlight he needs. In the first track, there are great bass licks. Good Rid’nz at 3:11 shows how to complement an already great riff. The bass is more prevalent at the slower sections, but there are also fast bass parts.
*stops fellating Steve*

You can hear some great ensemble interplay here. The greatest example of that is “Black” from 4:23 to 4:55. Damn, those guys are togheter a long time (the rhythm guitarist had never player to another band in his entire life, just Sadus), and of course, they understand each other very well. 1:10 at “The Wake” also showcase this “chemistry”.

The drummer is one little octopus on speed. He plays fast and precise, with some great fills to complement the riffs and those little pauses before the solos, a la Dark Angel, speaking of which, has their insane speed matched by this guy! The fills aren’t as long and as frequent as those by Proscriptor, but this does not mean that much.

The vocals are on the thrash side, with some screams and no growling at all. It sounds pretty crazy. Too bad there aren’t lots of cool vocal lines.

Any song here is a highlight, but “Good Rid’nz”, “Arise” and of course “Black” take the cake. The obligatory 1 minute grenade is here (In your Face) and the “squeeze one million of good riffs and solos in a 2 minutes song” (Last Abide). There’s also plenty death metal riffs scattered all around the album, as shown by “False Incarnation”. So much variation and uncanny catchiness. You better believe it.

Go listen to it, this is surely better than “Chemical Exposure”, and it DOES deserve more attention than it gets. Hell, at least, listen to “Black”, one of the better thrash songs ever written. Be aware that it’s out of print, so if you see this on some used CD store, grab it!