Maximum Metal Rating Legend

Sadus - Out For Blood - 2006 - Mascot Records

Track Listing 1. In The Name Of... 2. No More 3. Smackdown 4. Out For Blood 5. Lost It All 6. Sick 7. Down 8. Freedom 9. Freak 10. Cursed 11. Crazy

Lately, there has been a rush of old school bands making their come back with the hopes of once again leaving their mark on the metal scene and to complete their legacy. Amongst these bands are Exciter, Hallow's Eve, Exodus, Death Angel, and Nuclear Assault. Now joining the ranks of ex-retiree's are California's own Sadus. Sadus was know in the late 80's and early 90's for their highly technical thrash metal. Their lineup also featured the bass master himself - Steve DiGiorgio. Those of you not familiar with Steve's awesome bass fretwork, imagine what Les Claypool would sound like had he been in a death metal band. Need I say more? Sadus released around 6 or so albums between 1986 and 1997 before going on an extended hiatus. Fortunately for us metal maniacs, they have returned with the 2006 release called Out For Blood.

As much as I liked the back catalog of Sadus, especially Swallowed In Black and Chemical Exposure, Out For Blood completely blows them out of the park! With an outstanding production effort - not seen on most of their earlier releases - Satus are definately back and out for blood (no pun intended). In The Name Of is the perfect album opener as it shows that the trash trio have not forgotten the necessary elements for creating a thrash metal masterpiece. As soon as the vocals kick in, you get the feeling as if your back in 1989, thrashing around in your old Anthrax "Spreading The Disease" t-shirt. The vocals and all instruments are equally presented in the forefront, creating a brutal assault of technical thrash wizzardry. The second song, No More, continues the thrashing with a short synth intro followed by a powerful down-tempo riff with spacey keyboard improvisations. This is the song that will make you angry, while setting the tone for the remainder of the album. The rest of the album is a mindbending journey into the thrash zone - an area that has been desolate for quite some time now.

Once again, Sadas has left their mark as a band to be recogned with. I applaud Sadus for making the bold move of returning to the metal scene and their thrash roots. It's time to reclaim the metal scene from the nu-metal trend and with Sadus at the helm, the thrash revolution is bound to reek havok on all the talentless, rip-off bands that are stealing the scene. Sadus definately has my vote with one of the top 10 metal albums of 2006.


--Grim Gaijin 03.23.07