I am enjoying Symphony X and Between the Buried and Me these days, both serious contenders for the title of best record for 2015, digging Cradle of Filth and its bloody grand cru, banging my head to Fear Factory, and waiting for no less than Slayer and Maiden on my CD player in a couple of days. Do I have time for Sadist? Would it be foolish to ignore this ‘Hyaena’?
Africa and progressive rock, it is of course Toto IV. For the death metal, I can refer to Nile, geographically and thematically specialized. Talking about progressive death metal, this new Sadist focuses on the laughing carnivore, omnipresent in many African cultures, ridden by the devil: look at this beautiful front cover by Luca Orecchia.
In terms of effects and atmospheres, the keyboards could have been used better. In my humble opinion, that sounds a bit dated with two much reverb. The screaming’n’growling vocals are strong and varied, no doubt about it.
But the real pleasure lies elsewhere, in the perfect interaction between bass, drums and guitars. We reach a dimension of high quality and creativity, in line with the great artwork. From extreme metal riffs to jazzy fretless bass, from masterclass drums to inspired guitar soli, all the ingredients are mixed for a great tracklist.
I am not forgetting the percussions of the special guest Jean N’Diaye, and a really nice touch of hypnotic oud.
Two thumbs up can be given for the production and the mix by Tommy Talamanca at Nadir Music Studios: powerful and clear as well.
Sadist was formed a quarter of century ago and belongs to the generation of Death, Cynic, Atheist, Pestilence. If these bands and their heir apparents mean something to you and if you like musicians who deliver more than good music, you can blindly follow this feliformia.
Despite long breaks and line-up changes, the Genoan quartet has still a lot to offer, and ‘Hyaena’ deserves a place among the best records of summer-autumn 2015.
Tracklist:
1. The Lonely Mountain
2. Pachycrocuta
3. Bouki
4. The Devil Riding the Evil Steed
5. Scavenger and Thief
6. Gadawan Kura
7. Eternal Enemies
8. African Devourers
9. Scratching Rocks
10. Genital Mask
Playing time: 45:20
Release date: 16. October, 2015
Label: Scarlet Records
Website: www.sadist.it
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