Canada, a land renowned for its idyllic scenery, bountiful wildlife and almost oppressive politeness. But somewhere, in the depths of Edmonton; pain, anguish and disdain have ruled since 2017. SADISTIC EMBODIMENT project their contempt for the current global state of affairs through their music, and today we will be looking at their most recent release "Blood Spell".

The artwork is certainly eye catching, bright and vivid colours capture a very dark and sadistic image of a mutilated corpse, limbs woven through an old stagecoach wheel being picked at by a crow... A sign of what is to come I am sure!

So, without further ado, the album begins with "Catherine's Braid". Instantly an atmosphere is created through use of audio tracking that sits in the background of the droning and eery musical introduction. There is a distinct crossover of stylings throughout, initially I was thinking this was more of a Doom track, however the pace picked up significantly with a swift injection of energy and the Death Metal influences took over, thrusting the track towards its untimely end. This energy and aggression continue as we fly through "Cerebral Termination", but I want to stop a second to give a nod to the delightful guitar break about 2/3^rd's the way through, seriously check it out!

Jump on the breaks, its time for "Flesh Deposition". There is an instant return to the Doom styles that came earlier, but once again they are quite short lived. Clearly, energy and enthusiasm are an important weapon in SADISTIC EMBODIMENT's arsenal, and it is deployed expertly. "Gallows Hill" is an instant headbanger. I can see the pit opening up in my living room, although my girlfriend and cat were slightly taken by surprise!

"Global Enema" once again continues to provide a wall of energy, aggression and just begs for the listener to move and get involved in any way they can. "Nebulae (Call Of The Void)" is a fully instrumental track, allowing me to catch my breath and reflect on what has been an outstanding album thus far. However, I was transported away on ethereal sound waves, floating in space and just enjoying the journey that this track took me on.

The spoken word introduction of "Phantom Tormentor" instantly reminded me to a certain LAMB OF GOD track, "Omerta". Just the inspired use of spoken word combined with a no nonsense and powerful kick in, some bands nail it, others don't. SADISTIC EMBODIMENT nailed it. Let's drop this record down a gear and inject some more pace, not sure it can be done? Well neither was I and then "Stranger" proved to me that everything I thought I knew about this band's capability was wrong. But, my only concern with this not quite being the final track, have they peaked too early?

In short, no. "Suicide Ceremony" pulls together all members and demonstrates their class. Each musician and vocalist have their chance to demonstrate their skill and finesse in a final example of what they are capable of. An excellent end to a polished release.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this album. I honestly can't find a bad thing to say about it. The vocals were immense, all musical aspects were polished and refined so that it is clear that each member is highly skilled in their craft. The production value is second to none, especially to say that this has not been funded by a label! A mark of good music for myself is how I perceive it to come across in a live forum. And well, I can honestly say that SADISTIC EMBODIMENT would rip apart any venue with their music and all the crowd would be screaming along.

SADISTIC EMBODIMENT is on the up, and I cannot wait to see what is in store for this powerhouse of a band.