Charlie Southern covers all the bases...black metal with VIMUR, death metal with ECTOVOID and thrash with SADISTIC RITUAL. Why not play them all? Staying busy, moving from one album to the next, genre to genre, "Visionaire Of Death" is their first full-length. And although prior EP's "Hellish Mercenary" and "Edge Of The Knife" kick ass, "Visionaire" is a rollicking, thrashing horde that clearly stomps over earlier releases. And that's saying a fucking lot.
The opening title track begins with a few blood-curdling screams before the militia-fueled guitars rip us a new fucking asshole. Goddamn does it shred the skin off our brittle bones. If there was ever an opening track to show the masses how it's done, this is it. Second track '...In Cold Blood' continues the bludgeoning. The band knows how to capture the energy of their live shows in the studio, which is rare for most bands. It feels like they're playing in your living room while destroying the furniture and spitting in the eye of whoever gets near them. 'Double Crossed', with its thumping drums by Joe Sweat and dual guitars by Charlie and Alex Parra, bring a loud-ass sound that throat-punches everything around it. 'Executioner', 'Mutually Assured Destruction' and 'Civil Unrest' paint a picture of a band well on their way to conquering their genre. And let's not forget the basslines of Shawn Staszko that keeps the rhythm obliterating our eardrums.
Photo by David Parham
The confidence of the band and brilliance of song structure rocket the band forward in a way that makes similar bands seem like they're standing still. And it'll be a fucking surprise if anyone's left standing after a live performance of 'Malicious Misanthrope'. 'Death Shriek', 'Merciless Retribution' and 'Cerebral Sacrifice' round out the album in a furious, bloody massacre and utter devastation.
Pure and simple, SADISTIC RITUAL will shatter your soul, crush your lungs into powder, then stomp on your fucking face with a spiked boot before moving on to the next town. Check out this album. See them live. Don't live the rest of your life in shame by passing them by.
Review by: David Simonton