I try to avoid anything to do with the metal genre as it is difficult to come up with any words of wisdom on a genre built upon the abandonment of subtlety. So, it was with some degree of trepidation that I considered torturing my ears with “Under Sadistic Law,” the debut EP from Swedish band Zadism.
Almost caught unawares by the, almost subtle and keyboard led, first song on the EP, I was nearly lulled into a false sense of melodic security. That feeling soon passed as the onslaught began. Rasping vocals, power chords on steroids and the kind of manic drumming that makes you want to listen to jazz – only kidding, as no normal mortal should ever listen to jazz – yet, in a surprising twist of fate that led me to question my sanity, these songs started to make sense. The energy was undeniable and, in the right time and place, I might even want more of this. Subtlety has truly been abandoned entirely and, with full power being this band’s speciality, it won’t take long before your ears bleed and you want to indulge in the kind of activities that will get you thrown out of church.
As for the lyrical content, the sheer brutality of the vocals keeps that from corrupting what remains of your sartorial elegance. My ears may not actually be bleeding but they should be and I think I might play this EP again just to make sure that they do.