ALBUM REVIEW: Sarcator – Sarcator

Swedish youngsters SARCATOR are back with their debut full length of Blackened Thrash Metal madness. Do not let the mere age of these maniacs fool you, this is going to be a ripper. Out via Redefining Darkness Records and Iron Fist Productions on October 30th.

Whammy dive-bombs kick the album of in true old school fashion before a pulverising array of drums and blistering riffs explode into fruition, the mix is so tight and the instrumental skills so refined that it is obvious that we are to be delivered into a chaotic realm of ferocity with no remorse. A masterfully grim vocal attack adds more violence to the fearsome instrumental assault and altogether we see a crushing conjuration of Black-Thrash passion that is daunting and monstrous. Although primal and harsh, there is still some fantastic melodic work and some of the best drumming on a recent Black-Thrash record that I have heard. Pounding with pure molten Metal goodness, it takes only a few minutes of this album to realise just how magnificent it really is. Bring on the devilish thrashing darkness that lies ahead.

Surging into a savage array of blasting bass, crashing cymbals and monolithic riffing madness, the album drops bomb after bomb of total ferocity that is not going to be tamed once unleashed. Honouring the classic teutonic acts like Sodom, Kreator and most obviously Destruction, these Swedes nail the old school titans while offering something new, not just cheap worship. A blackened edge to their thrash-attack gives so much hellish morbidity to the sound which is balanced and prepared with a refined and glowing performance to only offer the most bestial concoctions of Extreme Metal brilliance. Spewing with rabid energy and unrivalled passion for Metals glory days, each song is a banger in its own right that creates a tapestry with the others of pure headbanging mania that is so damn easy to get hooked on with such tangible devotion to the real Heavy Metal sentiment.

Aside from the huge amounts of talent from these guys, the producer of the record clearly knows how huge Black-Thrash’s potential to be crushing is. The cutting-edge bass through razor-sharp guitars atop a multi-faceted drum assault is the perfect blend of bombastic aggression for the savagely howled vocals to cascade upon, truly a marvellous sound. Tormenting us with ravenous builds that culminate in total domination, the suspense and overall feel of the record is so well thought-out and has so much to offer that you will find it on heavy rotation. I won’t talk of nuance as it doesn’t take any work to see how ferociously good this album is with some of the best execution of Black-Thrash in 2020, that said it isn’t too simple to feel like something we have heard 1000 times. This balance sits it in that sweet spot of maniacal magnificence that speaks for itself.

This record not only will crush all who listen but show Sweden’s next generation are flying the flag of Heavy Metal in one of the most reliably rabid countries for the genre. Sarcator deliver some of the most musically proficient, macabre and mystical Black-Thrash of 2020 that you can not afford to miss. A monolith of witching madness that rips from start to finish. -8.5/10