Sadistik's debut album, The Balancing Act, was without a doubt one the best hip-hop album of 2008. With sharp lyrics that tell depressive stories accompanied with the accomplished beatmaking of Emancipator, the album was a windfall in emotional hip-hop. Tracks like Searching For Some Beautiful, Absolution and Writes of Passage were contenders for song of the year; strong, heart-breaking lyrics alongside searching, wistful beats were a welcoming break from the tedium of mainstream hip-hop. The latest effort in Sadistik's catalogue, menacingly titled The Art of Dying, is a 6-song, 33-minute EP that one can only assume serves as a tasting plate for his next LP. If the EP is anything to go by, then the album will surely be a winner. We see Sadistik expanding his musical oeuvre, most notably through Bed of Flowers, a 7-minute track that meanders along, just as eagerly exploring the constraints of the instrumental as being used to back up Sadistik's story-telling. Save Yourself is the other stand-out track, with grinding drums alongside a mournful piano sample as Sadistik spits another lament. All in all, a fantastic hors d'oeuvre for what promises to be a delicious main course.
8.8
