#Sabotage Pishach

Band: Sabotage
Title: Pishach
Label: Independent
Release date:  13 January 2024
Country: India
Format reviewed: High-quality Digital Recording 

I remember that Sabotage released an EP back in 2019, pure Old School Thrash Metal. Yeah, they already had something very good going on! The thing is that, more or less, I didn’t check them a lot then, because you know, there’s always too much music around, bla bla bla… But the time has come for me to pay the attention they deserve; and believe me: you won’t be disappointed and won’t regret it if you do the same!

“Pishach” (“Vampire”), the new album by this Indian band starts with an intro, one minute and a half of “warming up the engine”, as it is said… a bit of a cinematic sound, percussion, some mysterious whispers, the building up tension of a minimalistic guitar… well, now I’m intrigued. I’m sure that’s the thing they want to provoke on the listener. And then, one of the most infectious riffs starts slapping your face. Ahh there’s no turning back, Sabotage is here to drive you back to the golden age of Thraaaaaash! (scream it loud, yeah!)

“Eye for an Eye” is a relentless track, it puts things clear: that repetitive riff will make you headbang like a maniac, plus frantic drums, as it must be, are marking the pace for real whiplash. Guitars sound amazing together, and if there’s a thing that has a real predominance in this album is the lead guitar, the solos are big, executed with great technique, I’m mesmerized.

The next track will make everything clear to you: by repeating “we… are… Sabotage!” and infecting your brain with catchy riffs and a characteristic raspy voice, you’ll find that you can’t keep being still anymore. This is like a Metal anthem, lyrics talk about typical cliches: raising your horns, putting on your battle vest, moving your fist in the air, screaming loudly…  As a plus, there’s a great bass playing here; and again, the lead guitar marks the big point. Maybe the thing I like the least is the way of finishing this song, instead of a “real” ending it slowly vanishes. But anyway, it sounds great.

As I’ve said, one of the main aspects in this album is the lead guitar. You’ll find a great solo in each song, which is fantastic ‘cause it’s not only that Sabotage wants to keep you infected with these neck-injuring riffs, but also they can make you enjoy an amazing guitar work. 

Focusing on bass, a track where this instrument stands out is “Victory or Valhalla”, where you can listen to it loud. It provides the perfect envelope for the rest of instruments, making this song more oriented towards classic Heavy Metal than the rest. Judging by the guitar harmonies and solo in this track, I guess these guys have been listening to a lot of classic bands and NWOBHM all their lives… the lyrics theme is maybe a bit unusual for this genre but I enjoy it a lot anyway.

Drums are doing fantastic work also, with that restrained and consistent pace and also unleashing all their speed and thundering power when it’s required. “Melody of Betrayal” has a crushing start, the combination of drums and bass here is outstanding. This song has a pounding pulse, it’s strong and forceful, I really love the percussion and its varied patterns.

Credit to the vocalist too, his voice has a great balance between anger and insolence, he represents an anti-system and rebel attitude, just like “fuck you! I’m proud of what I’m doing, can you say the same about you?” He does a very consistent work, probably inspired by bands that had their glorious days in the 80s… But hey, this stance never gets old, it’s a matter of being honest with one’s ideals and not following the flock. Breaking the establishment rules, crushing some bones (even if not literally,…), provoking rebellions… 

This is a short album, 8 tracks, only 30 minutes in total but this is not that bad: if you can be listening to music for an hour, you can listen to it twice! I wish you a good recovery later, ‘cause yeah… your neck muscles will be demanding good care after it, I swear. You’re welcome.  8,5/10  Sílvia

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8,5/10 To Greatness and Glory!
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