Sarcasm continues its ascent with its new album.
After hard times at the beginning in Sweden between 1990 and 1994, the band rebirths from its ashes in 2015. Heval Bozarslan (vocals, Deathswarm, Third Storm, Gold Spire), Anders Eriksson (guitar, Deathswarm), Peter Laitinen (guitar, Imperial Domain), Jonas Söder (bass, ex-Goatworship) and Alvaro Svanerö (drums, Deathswarm, Imperial Domain, ex-Loch Vostok) introduce us to Stellar Stream Obscured, their fourth album.
The album begins in fury with Through the Crystal Portal and its complex but melodic riffs. The band wonderfully uses its Old School aggressive influences as well as an impressive modern mix to deliver a hooking tornado of rage, followed on the same way with We Only Saw the Shadows of Life and its piercing leads. Threatening howlings are perfectly integrated to this abrasive and dark sound, which sometimes offers more technical elements but raw effectiveness is always the band’s key. Ancient Visitors comes to slow the tempo down with Doom influences, haunting melodies and above all this weighing blackness which crushes us. The song is by far the longest one of the album, allowing the band to vomit its rage while keeping heady leads before The Spinning Tomb revives the assault with a fast-paced rhythmic. The band barely slows down to lock us into a cocoon of blackness before striking again, then Obsidian Eyes makes us sink into darkness with this beautiful introduction. Piano immediately announces melodies are honored into this tortured rhythmic, and dedicated breaks are impactful, just like the contrasts which rages over The Powers of Suffering that Be. Whether Old School roots are obviously here, we feel a direct influence from soaring Progressive Death Metal, offering epic flights into aggressiveness and heaviness, then Apocalyptic Serenity reconnects with softness, but also with melancholy. The song is quite slow and weighing, but it leaving the field free to dissonance and blackness, then Let us Descend comes to close the album. The long and majestic introduction eventually calls fast and saturated riffs, topped by thick and threatening howlings, which will walk with us until the very last moment.
Despite their tough start, Sarcasm knew how to reborn from its ashes and to keep their roots. With Stellar Stream Obscured, the band proves it perfectly handles its melodic universe, as well as to change ambiences to captivate us.
95/100