SADISTIC FORCE - Morbid Odyssey (Review)

Written by: Blackie Skulless

After Midnight Assassin cemented Sadistic Force as a true, *ahem* force to be reckoned with, and not just another decent black/thrash outfit that checks all the boxes, it does make one wonder how much more they can evolve. If sticking to the same dynamic formula is the move, then the truth is not too much. This didn’t stop the Texans from attempting several steps forward, and if anything, their recent EP of last year is a testament to that. Titled Morbid Odyssey, they’ve taken a similar general idea and cleaned it up a bit, all the while injecting some pretty extreme fervor in several ways.

Before even noting the differences in execution, the production alone would have felt like a pivot elsewhere, and I’ll be damned if it didn’t make things sound bigger. Sneaking in melodies and nods to more traditional metal influence is still present, but the drums feel far more ferocious this time around, and the riffs far thicker and marshier. Thus, while I’d still call this a black/thrash effort at its core, Sadistic Force made themselves sound heavier, with more might behind the kicks. It’s like what would happen if you asked a death metal artist to play this genre instead.

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I would also argue that there’s a more dramatic attempt at shifting tones mid-song. “Soft Flesh For The Dungeon Of The Damned” is a glaring example of this, riding primarily on a steadier tempo while randomly bursting into more rock ‘n roll injected Motorheadisms, all under breakneck drumming speeds that take on a machine-gun like aura. On that note, “Strike After Strike” gives the opposite effect, opening itself guns-blazing in what feels like that in a literal sense. I won’t pretend that drums of this magnitude carrying the song isn’t a bit overwhelming, but it certainly is compelling. Closer “Abnormal Cruelties” is the best track, however, as it leans the hardest into the black metal genre that the band ever has before, complete with bleak leads, blast-beats, and vocal shrieks that rival your favorite Norwegian band.
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​Sadistic Force is clearly hinting at potential technical evolution that’s admittedly awkward at times, as I feel the several directions reveal a lack of clarity, but is mean and hostile otherwise. The band has long proved its ability to stand out, and I find myself wondering how things would fare if the whole EP followed the aesthetic of “Abnormal Cruelties.” Sometimes the method is to not fix what isn’t broken, but Morbid Odyssey feels like a look at what to expect. Given some fine-tuning and perhaps letting off the drum domination a bit, they’ve easily got another full-length in them that could rival their previous one.

Sadistic Force - Morbid Odyssey was released Aug. 22nd, 2025. Find it here!

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Sadistic Force can be found at Bandcamp
Cover Art by Wibowo Yudo Baskoro