One country that I never expected to have a good Death Metal scene but actually does is Chile, and one of their longest-lasting institutions, SADISM, released a full-length in 2018. Death/Thrash Metal that is heavy and groovy without relent, "Ethereal Dead Cult" is a great installation to the already brutal Chilean Death Metal scene.

As far as Death/Thrash goes, SADISM seem to have everything in order. Their riffing, while not always original, is well executed, their music is structured nicely for the most part and the overall sound is very groovy.

There are a few tracks on this album that have less substance on them than other tracks. "Hypnotic Conjuration" is a good example. While it experiments with technicality at times, the track is on the less substantial side of things. Nevertheless, the few tracks like this are still good examples of Death/Thrash.

On "Agonize" there is a bit of a songwriting issue. The intro, a great riff that is repeated later in the song, is not efficiently transitioned out of either time it is played, making it less impactful. Other than this, there are not many songwriting flaws to be observed on this album.

The intro on "Agonize" is very atmospheric, a theme that seems to pop up commonly on this album. I love the way the guitarist experiments with ever-so-slightly dissonant chords within the normal riffing. This is seen on "Ethereal Dead Cult" and "The Slanderer". This very slight addition to the thrash-y feeling of this album is different and refreshing.

"This Burial Is Ours" plays around with interesting chords as well. This track is my personal favorite on the album, as its riffs are heavy with a slight sense of melody. The structure of the song progresses smoothly, adding a simplistic yet effective chord progression in the middle. This chord progression is followed by very nice differentiation which eventually leads back to the main riff, sounding heavy as ever.

Another aspect of SADISM's music that I appreciate is the groove. "Black Halo Solaris" has a very groovy chorus. It is also infectiously catchy, not to mention the riff that follows the chorus that is both groovy and fast as it is awesome. The drums help greatly in making this record as groovy as it is.

"Full of Parasites" is another song that helps make this album as good as it is. The song has a very groovy main riff that plays commonly throughout the track. The riffs overall are just deadly, and the structure of the song is perfect. It's one of the slower-paced songs on the album, but it is still thrash-y and menacing.

While there are moments on this album that are dull, the good parts outweigh that. SADISM have a truly great sound that has been progressing ever since they started in 1988. They were one of the first Death Metal acts in Chile and still continue to stay on top.