Sadus

East Bay metal legends with an uncompromising sound rooted in thrash and technical death metal, Sadus arrived on the California thrash wave of the 1980s. They blasted their way to the fore of the extreme metal scene alongside pugilistic contemporaries like Sepultura, Deicide, and Obituary, delivering a string of acclaimed efforts, including 1990's Swallowed in Black and 1992's A Vision of Misery, before going on hiatus in 2006. Rumblings of Sadus' return began in 2017, culminating in the release of the group's long-awaited sixth studio album, The Shadow Inside, in 2023. Hailing from the East Bay city of Antioch, Sadus originally consisted of Darren Travis on vocals and guitar, Rob Moore on guitar, Steve DiGiorgio on bass, and Jon Allen on drums. The group formed while all four members were attending high school in 1984, and due to the circulation of such demos as 1986's D.T.P. and 1987's Certain Death, they built a solid local following. By the end of 1988, the band issued a debut full-length independently. Titled Illusions, it was produced by Metal Church guitarist John Marshall and led to a deal with Roadrunner Records, which unleashed the hard-hitting Swallowed in Black in 1990; Sadus supported the LP with a tour opening for Obituary and Sepultura. The following year, DiGiorgio lent his bass-playing talents to the recording of Death's Human album, which helped introduce Sadus to a broader audience as they toured that same year with Morbid Angel in Europe for the first time. Further releases appeared -- Chemical Exposure and A Vision of Misery -- before the group left Roadrunner. Shortly after that, DiGiorgio rejoined Death to record their Individual Thought Patterns album, and this time, they decided to tour with the band as Sadus took a break. In 1997, Sadus reunited to record an album for the fledgling label Mascot Records, but by this time, Moore had left the group. Undeterred, the group carried on as a trio, releasing Elements of Anger (produced by renowned thrash/death metal producer Scott Burns) in 1998. By the early 2000s, DiGiorgio had become one of the genre's most sought-after bassists, working with Testament, Dragonlord, Autopsy, and Iced Earth, among others. Despite the bandmembers' busy schedules, Sadus returned to the studio in 2006 and issued their fifth album, Out for Blood. A 16-year hiatus preceded the arrival of the group's sixth long-player. Released in 2023 on Nuclear Blast and featuring Travis and Allen at the helm, The Shadow Inside saw Sadus working with producer Juan Urteaga (Exodus, Testament, Machine Head) on a blistering set of songs focusing on themes of truth and identity.
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