SPAWN OF EVIL is a Death Metal from the port city of Haifa, Israel. They've released three albums to date. Their first two albums “Shratzim” and “Ecstatic Aggressive Behavior” were released in 2002 and 2014, respectively. Their third and most recent album “Sadistic Missionaries” was released on September 6th of this year through the Romanian Extreme Metal label Pest Records. Nine years is a long wait time between records, but considering how intense and heavy the Death Metal on “Sadistic Missionaries” is, that was more than enough time for SPAWN OF EVIL to put forth a good album.

“Hell Spawn” is the 4 ½-minute opener to the band's third album. With crunching guitar riffs from Miko Haronian and Nir Tamir, along Yaron Hakon’s heavy drumming to match, this track is a sledgehammer to the senses. “Storm of All Sins” is significantly faster with Yaron Hakon using strings of insanely quick skank beats. After the slow, heavy “God Is Fake News,” SPAWN OF EVIL gives us “Rhea of the Gods,” which is the only time Yaron Hakon uses blast beating on this album. The fifth song “Human Minds” is the most Thrash Metal-like track in my opinion, with fast, shredding guitar riffs and some of the heaviest double bass I have heard from recent Death Metal albums. The title track “Sadistic Missionaries” is actually divided into two separate segments labeled “Part 1” and “Part 2.” I personally didn't see the need for this, but both parts are very good. “Sadistic Missionaries Pt. 1” is the longer segment at 5 minutes and 18 seconds. To my pleasant surprise, it included a breakdown that was so heavy, it will make any Deathcore band jealous. The second part of the title track is slightly shorter and has a different sound to it, but it's still just as intense as its predecessor. The closing song “Righteous Evil” is also the longest. For the entire 6 ½ minutes, our Death Metal comrades from Israel maintain a level of mid-tempo aggression that makes “Righteous Evil” an acceptable way to end their third record, even if it could have benefited from a little more speed. Throughout the entire album, lead vocalist Moti Rokah used deep, menacing growls to match the heavy music of his fellow bandmates.

“Sadistic Missionaries” may have been a painful wait for SPAWN OF EVIL’s fanbase, but I feel that the nine-year wait was well worth it. Perhaps a lengthy break is what these four men needed to ensure a good piece of Death Metal would be made. Unfortunately, there is no bass on this album, as the band does not have an official bassist as of today. If you can overlook this arguably glaring flaw though, I would absolutely recommend “Sadistic Missionaries” for your list of Death Metal records to listen to.