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Impending Doom... (1990)
Recorded and released in 1990, Sadistic Intent’s Impending Doom... E.P. offers a solid dose of menacing late ’80s death metal. The production is thick and murky, though the hellish lead solos manage to cut through. Unfortunately, the vocals sound kind of muffled. They are in the raspier, more evil style of the ’80s, reminiscent of Morbid Angel’s Altars of Madness. There are blackened tremolo melodies on “Lurking Terror” that possess the same kind of dark atmosphere as “Visions from the Dark Side”. This track is the highlight of the recording and also features an ominous intro that conjures a feeling of doom and seems more developed and varied. The result is a very memorable song that manages to create a sinister feeling.
Bits of thrash appear throughout the E.P., especially on “Existence” and “Morbid Faith”, which makes sense as these are the older songs. The former bears similarities to Mayhem’s “Carnage”. The title track and others also include chaotic guitars and blast beats that call to mind death/grind bands like Terrorizer or Carcass. The songwriting is good enough and maintains a consistent feel, though it can get repetitive and only one of the four tracks really stands out. Impending Doom... shows a band that was still developing its sound. Nevertheless, it’s still good for what it is and should satisfy anyone into old school death metal.
Bits of thrash appear throughout the E.P., especially on “Existence” and “Morbid Faith”, which makes sense as these are the older songs. The former bears similarities to Mayhem’s “Carnage”. The title track and others also include chaotic guitars and blast beats that call to mind death/grind bands like Terrorizer or Carcass. The songwriting is good enough and maintains a consistent feel, though it can get repetitive and only one of the four tracks really stands out. Impending Doom... shows a band that was still developing its sound. Nevertheless, it’s still good for what it is and should satisfy anyone into old school death metal.
(3 July 2025)
Resurrection (1994)
In the autumn of 1993, Sadistic Intent entered the studio once again to record their second E.P., Resurrection. This time around, the band made improvements in just about every area, from the more developed songwriting to the sharper production. What Impending Doom only hinted at is more fully realized here. All the same ingredients are present, from the bits of doom and thrash to the almost blackened feeling, resulting in a release that is dripping with a morbid, evil atmosphere.
Despite being released in January 1994, the sound is rooted in the late '80s and early '90s style of death metal. The vocals are mostly raspy and deathlike, giving off an almost ghastly feeling, which suits the sinister guitar riffs well. At times the vocalist strays into somewhat deeper territory, reminiscent of Incantation. Musically, this actually bears a lot of similarities to the early Swedish and Finnish bands, especially the gloomy tremolo melodies. Several of the riffs throughout the E.P. wouldn’t have been out of place on early releases from Nihilist, Unleashed, or Amorphis. “Condemned in Misery” even sounds similar to something from Hypocrisy’s Penetralia. “Asphyxiation” is the darkest track on here and serves as one of the highlights, with the added weight of Sabbath-esque doom riffs. The haunting sound of the closer, “A Mass for Tortured Souls”, is equally memorable, even if it’s just an instrumental outro.
Sadistic Intent never sounded better than they did here, and it's a shame they weren't better known. A full-length at this stage could have made a difference, but nearly four years had passed since Impending Doom..., and they still hadn’t put together enough new material. Only two of the four songs were actually new. If they'd written a few more or reused more from their demos, Resurrection might have been a full-length and helped them gain more attention.
Despite being released in January 1994, the sound is rooted in the late '80s and early '90s style of death metal. The vocals are mostly raspy and deathlike, giving off an almost ghastly feeling, which suits the sinister guitar riffs well. At times the vocalist strays into somewhat deeper territory, reminiscent of Incantation. Musically, this actually bears a lot of similarities to the early Swedish and Finnish bands, especially the gloomy tremolo melodies. Several of the riffs throughout the E.P. wouldn’t have been out of place on early releases from Nihilist, Unleashed, or Amorphis. “Condemned in Misery” even sounds similar to something from Hypocrisy’s Penetralia. “Asphyxiation” is the darkest track on here and serves as one of the highlights, with the added weight of Sabbath-esque doom riffs. The haunting sound of the closer, “A Mass for Tortured Souls”, is equally memorable, even if it’s just an instrumental outro.
Sadistic Intent never sounded better than they did here, and it's a shame they weren't better known. A full-length at this stage could have made a difference, but nearly four years had passed since Impending Doom..., and they still hadn’t put together enough new material. Only two of the four songs were actually new. If they'd written a few more or reused more from their demos, Resurrection might have been a full-length and helped them gain more attention.
(3 July 2025)
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