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SADISTIC FORCE
Black Moon Sadism EP

Self-released (2021)
Rating: 7.5/10

Mastered by Joel Grind, Black Moon Sadism is the new three-track EP from Austin, Texas-based black thrashers Sadistic Force.

Sadistic Force is the work of duo Hell Troll (drums) and the less mystically named James Oliver (vocals, guitar and bass), and is a band that only caught my attention at the beginning of 2021 with the January release of their debut EP Pain, Sex And Rapture. Now, just three weeks later, comes this latest effort.

The title tracks kicks things off with a nice melodic, almost classical metal groove before chugging along nicely. In fact, it’s straight-up traditional metal and yet with a more black metal styled rasp from James Olivier. But it’s a match made in Heaven (or Hell), especially if you like catchy yet speeding metal, and ‘Black Moon Sadism’ brings effortless haste to marry in with the chugging… call it black n’ roll if you will.

It’s a shame that the EP is so short at under ten minutes, and one of the three tracks is a cover of Turbonegro’s ‘Billion Dollar Sadist’, but it’s still a hammering, clanking speedball of a rendition dripping in black melody as the vocals snap with primitive aplomb.

However, the track on offer here which really gets me rabid is ‘The Cauldron’, which also features a guest solo from Soul Grinder guitarist Alex Avery. ‘The Cauldron’ is a straight-up frenzy of gnashing rhythms where vocals stray into death metal bellows while the drums frantically skip to keep up with the whirling chords. Sure, it’s sadistically familiar in its oily tirade – after all, countless of bands previous and no doubt since will vomit forth similar grinds of lashing speed – but I am a sucker for that scotching, frothing metal and I just love the putrid tempo change as another mocking vocal scowl slithers in sinister fashion along that skirting, dirty guitar lick.

It’s hard to argue with such a sharp and short slap to the skull that leaves a bloody whelp mark of the Devil. The black thrash genre may not offer much new within its scathing tides, but Sadistic Vision are good at taking that direct form of raw, rollicking metal and combing enough rock n’ roll and traditional metal outbursts to keep you happy from midnight onwards.

Neil Arnold

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