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The Shadow Inside

    
       
       
       
     
             
Sadus are a thrash metal band from the USA formed in 1985 right at the height of the burgeoning Bay Area thrash evolution spearheaded by the Big 4 - Anthrax, Megadeth, Metallica, and Slayer. In a career spanning forty years, Sadus have released six albums - 'Illusions' (1988), 'Swallowed In Black' (1990), 'A Vision Of Misery' (1992), 'Elements Of Anger' (1997), 'Out For Blood' (2006), and 'The Shadow Inside' (2023)...    
             
...the bands first album in nearly two decades! Sadus, led by the ever present Darren Travis (bass, guitars, vocals) and Jon Allen (drums) are as fast, fierce and feisty as ever - 'The Shadow Inside' featuring forty eight savage minutes of all out thrash! You can forget the melodic style of thrash metal - this is gonna hurt! All ten songs on offer are bone snappers, skull crushers, and neck breakers, the band taking no prisoners as the album roars into life with the seven minute long 'First Blood' - all mellow, serene and full of tension for the first minute, followed by an anticipation fuelled crescendo before all fucking hell eventually breaks loose at the two minute mark! Guitar shredding and blistering speed take front and centre, 'First Blood' roaring forth with urgency and a howling vocal delivery. Sadus have always stood on the more brutal side of thrash metal, not giving an inch, a quarter or a goddamn fuck!    
             
With the intensity and all out brutality of the opening salvo still ringing in my ears, Sadus don't let up, 'Scorched And Burnt' a mid tempo, foot stomping, ground shuddering barrage of savagery! Walls are gonna crumble as 'Scorched And Burnt' shakes every building within a ten mile radius to its foundations, the band emanating a tremendous amount of force. A force that's overwhelming and all consuming - the album roaring on with the old school thrasher 'It's The Sickness'. And an electrifying upturn in levels of brutality and savagery, non thrash metal fans reaching for the pain killing tablets - diehard and seasoned fans loving every single aggression loaded punch, kick and head butt! The opening triple salvo has been incredibly head bang-able too, 'The Shadow Inside' stretching every head bangers neck muscles to their limits, and beyond! And in the shape of 'Ride The Knife', those neck muscles are in danger of being ripped to shreds - the speed of 'Ride The Knife' faster than the speed of light (which is 186,000 miles per second - and that's fast).    
             
Sadus are ignoring every speed limit known to man, taking absolutely no notice of traffic enforcement laws, powering forward faster than ever with the all out head banger 'Anarchy'. Mosh pits all around the world are gonna be going nuts right now, the band delivering a breath taking barrage of head bang ability. And coupled with the high levels of aggression and brutality, every listener, fan and follower are gonna be left fucking breathless! "Call 911 - I need oxygen" is a likely screech from many listeners - but I wouldn't bother worrying about that now, for the album is only half way through! And with no end in sight to the all out thrash attack, Sadus storm on with another foot stomper - 'The Devil In Me' stamping hard all over the land, earthquakes and "seismic events" causing havoc all around the world. The American outfit are a ferocious force of nature, a force that can't be tamed, and I for one ain't even gonna try! And why would I even want to, especially when the thrash on offer is this fucking good! The band continue their barnstorming romp of pain and (incredible) pleasure with the industrial tinged 'Pain', a roaring vocal performance lacerating the sky - the mid tempo foot stomping style of thrash as emphatic as it's ever been!    
             
The band have visited every corner of the thrash metal genre to deliver a varied and highly engaging album of thrash, 'The Shadow Inside' hitting the accelerator pedal hard for 'No Peace'. The blistering speed is phenomenal, the band constantly changing gears as 'No Peace' swings this way and that, keeping listeners hooked, but also guessing which direction the song will turn in next. 'New Beginnings' is a two minute regal sounding instrumental that acts as an intro to the final song, (the title song) 'The Shadow Inside' - featuring the most terrifying feel of any song on offer! The band are at their most frightening here too, 'The Shadow Inside' (the song) a rough, tough, gruff, and harrowing finale to scare the pants off everyone!    
             
Overall, a savage barrage of thrash metal brutality, loaded to the hilt with aggression and a sky high level of head bang ability.    
             
             
Review by Iron Mathew Collins    
             
Reviewed for Metal Gods TV    
             
             
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