Sarcator is back with its third album!
Just over two years after their last release, Mateo Tervonen (vocals/guitar, ex-The Crown live), Felix Lindkvist (bass/vocals), Jesper Rosén (drums) and Leo Buchalle (guitar, ex-Venthiax) sign up with Century Media Records to unveil Swarming Angels & Flies.
The band attacks without delay with the energetic Burning Choir, a composition where aggression is obviously present in the frantic instrumental, then in the furious vocal parts. Everything in this track calls for violence, even the worked solo with its piercing Old School influences, but the onslaught finally takes another form with Comet of End Times, which favors scathing harmonics and bestial vocal parts. The jerky rhythm explodes regularly and bludgeons us without batting an eyelid, but the final becomes more melodic and leads into Swarming Angels & Flies, which is immediately menacing, and also takes no gloves off to roll over us dutifully, changing to become even more hasty towards the halfway point. We continue with The Deep Ends, which immediately introduces a more lead-oriented approach, but also playful, driving tones, then Where The Void Begins grants us a brief moment’s respite with a soothing introduction. Saturation soon resurfaces to darken the sound, then bring back the vocal parts and give a more martial allure, allowing the vocalist some shrill screams before continuing its progression to reach The Undercurrent, which celebrates the return of violence. Black and Thrash roots are pushed to the extreme here, letting the four musicians run riot for the duration of the track, before the introduction of Closure hypnotizes us with its mysterious touches. Entirely instrumental, the track remains fairly calm, but is followed by the very dark and disquieting Unto Sepulchres, which in turn ignites and throws virulent riffs at us at a very sustained pace, despite a few softer breaks, but also and above all this savage final.
Black and Thrash have always blended very well thanks to their shared foundations, but Sarcator pushes them ever further. Swarming Angels & Flies is an excellent, fast-paced album that is as much about shaking our skulls as it is about bludgeoning us relentlessly.
90/100