21st July 2023

Review: “Destroyer of All Dreams” by Sadistic Vision

Three years after their aptly titled debut album “Rebirth“, the return of Hanover Pennsylvanian Traditional (They don’t like the term Old School Death Metal as they feel that too many bands are quick to be trendy and stake a claim on the phrase, so want to set themselves apart from that) Death Metal trio Sadistic Vision with “Destroyer of All Dreams” is a welcome surprise. The band, now a trio comprising guitarist and vocalist Beau Chollett, bassist Brian Reed and drummer Justin Kitzmiller, have roots going all the way back to 1989 and New Orleans Louisiana but only had two demos and an EP in the discography before that album. This time around they’re on a mission with a vision to offer “an insight of imaginative mental progressions that speak to the violent dispositions that come with murder, destruction, depressed and revengefully liberating musicality while maintaining true to the original sound of the band’s persona”. Make of that what you will…

Quality over quantity isn’t a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination and the musicianship, thought and vision that has gone into the creation of this record is undeniable from the moment the introduction piece begins. It sounds like something which belongs to the score of a Stephen King movie before “Unremorsed Killing” seamlessly blends Death, Thrash and Grindcore as it roars out of 1982 with flavours of bands like Morbid Angel and Napalm Death. A tour de force of – yes we’re going to say it – Old School Death Metal, this one also has time for a couple of bass solos with that instrument given a higher place in the mix than others dare to even suggest. The sense of fun in these tunes is what sets them apart from the wolves at the door baying for blood because while they have all the menacing and sinister edges that you could possibly want, they also have a style and a grace to them that outshines the blunt force trauma that younger bands offer. “Repressed Mind” feels like the Death Metal equivalent of “Sweating Bullets” by Megadeth, once again offering a real verve and swagger in the riff department. An acoustically backed flaming solo is immense, combining a rich melody with a face melting element that astounds before the barked charge of the finale. Enhancing the atmospherics with a little bit of low budget horror movie synth, “Destroyer of All Dreams” rattles up with bone shaking dexterity. Blast beats and staccato riff break infestations are the order of the day as the title track provides the kind of Death Metal tune that when someone asks you “what is Metal?” you point to. It has all the hallmark moments you could want and the kitchen sink without being a rose tinted spectacle nostalgia trip. Another fretboard smouldering solo before a final chest bursting verse is the pièce de résistance. Short and yet oh so sickeningly sweet “J.C.” rounds out the record with a 102 second burst of Deathgrind as the band go full throttle, high caffeine and full fat, decimating the weak and thinning the herd. This is pure gold. [8.5/10]

Track Listing