Reviews list for Sadus - Swallowed in Black (1990)

Those of us old enough to be fortunate to have been listening to metal in 1990 will remember what a fucking cracking year it was for albums. Among all the obvious choices like Judas Priest Painkiller and Danzig Danzig II:Lucifuge sit some lesser recognised gems and high on that list is Sadus Swallowed In Black.

My penchant for pure ripping thrash was more than realised here with an album that to this day sounds as ferocious and intense as the first time I heard it. However there is more to this album than just an all out balls to the wall assault, throughout the entire record the mastery of Steve DiGiorgio on the (fretless) bass is breathtaking and he compliments the guitar work perfectly. One of the most technical players of his time his contribution on here is nothing short of superb. Blend the wondrous complexity of the music with Rob Travis' harsh and scathing vocal style and you have a near perfect combination for one of thrash metals best ever records.

There's a tech death edge throughout most of the riffs on Swallowed in Black and its delivered with all the speed and fervour you'd expect from such a release as well. The songs are well composed and show a real maturity from the writers which compliments the musicianship perfectly.  It's very easy for technical thrash metal to become blunted by the twists and turns deployed but because the band utilised this death metal element so well, the pace and tempo lose no edge whatsoever and the whole combination is one vintage blend of varying taste notes.

It does go on a bit though and the album composition overall doesn't sit right with me in some regards, hence it didn't quite get full marks.  Still have a must have album for me though.

Sadus’ debut nearly took my head off when I finally got around to checking it out earlier this year. It only ran for about 25 minutes, but it was venomous thrash metal of the finest order, and highly recommended. So, I was excited to pick up their second effort Swallowed in Black. The result is an album that I don’t enjoy quite as much, but is still an entertaining, shredding album that I’ll certainly come back to time and time again.

The main difference between the debut and Swallowed in Black is that the songs (and album for that matter) are generally longer, with an expanded sound. While there are still moments of thrashing madness throughout the album, there’s more of a focus on technical song writing, with an almost progressive feel to some tracks such as Images. One of the main reasons for this is the bass work of genius Steve DiGeorgio which snakes its way throughout the album. But all the musicians really stepped up to the plate for this album and it’s captivating from start to finish. I’ve always loved Darren’s completely messed up, vicious vocals!

Highlights for me are Images, The Wake and Arise. Swallowed in Black is well worth your time if you appreciate the more aggressive side of thrash metal, yet also don’t mind the more progressive side.