Review by Daniel for Sadist - Above the Light (1993)

Italian progressive death metallers Sadist first came to my attention via the mid-90's tape trading scene & it was their excellent debut album "Above the Light" that was the source of my initial interest, a release that is arguably still the band's most well-known record to this day. I was heavily into the more expansive & technical varieties of extreme metal at the time so Sadist's sound fit very comfortably inside of my wheelhouse but the overall quality displayed on "Above the Light" has also seen me returning to it a number of times over the many years since.

Sadist's sound is really built around one individual in guitarist/keyboardist Tommy Talamanca. His flashy neoclassical lead guitar solos & progressive synthesizer work are essentially what makes Sadist unique. Listening back now, there's no question that Tommy was a talented axe-slinger & I love his note selection however he definitely lacks the finesse & class of the absolute elite shredders the scene had to offer. His keyboard work is quite up-front in the mix but is used with a level of sophistication that tends to keep it free of any claims to cheese. It's very clear that Talamanca was heavily influenced by thrash metal because the vast majority of the album is better described as progressive death/thrash than death metal in my opinion with bands like Kreator having been a major source of inspiration. The progressive elements are more above the atmosphere & arrangements than they are about structural complexity so don't be scared off if you struggle with the more fiddly diddly modern day tech death artists.

The tracklisting is extremely solid with nothing falling short of tier two status. The album could definitely have done with a couple more standout tracks though as the only song that I find to be a true classic is the band's highly symphonic title song "Sadist" which possesses hooks that have cut so deeply that I can easily recall every nuance of it today, particularly Talamanca's stunning outro guitar solo which is one of the high points of the record from a creative point of view. My picks of the remainder are probably "Breathin' Cancer" & "Sometimes They Come Back" but there's a lot to like about the whole record in all honesty.

Sadist have certainly had their hits & misses over the years but there can be no denying the quality of their first up effort which is still my pick of their back catalogue in 2024. If you're a devotee of the flashier end of the extreme metal spectrum & don't mind a bit of a spacier progressive feel then I'd thoroughly recommend "Above the Light" to you.

For fans of Hieronymus Bosch, Neglected Fields & Atheist.