Album Review: Sarcator - Swarming Angels & Flies

Sarcator - Swarming Angels & Flies

When the band name is a combination of Sarcófago and Kreator, you know that you aren’t in for an easy ride. Thus, the third album by Swedes Sarcator promises much. And it delivers with a ferocity that is difficult to label.

“If anyone has ever wondered how our intensity playing live would sound captured on a record, this is the one,” states singer/guitarist Mateo Tervonen. “There is no question that it’s our most intense, brutal and rawest creation yet, so those who enjoy those elements of our sound will not be disappointed! We worked a lot on the dynamics, so we are sure that this album will have something for everyone. It's not really a genre album and we like to keep it that way”. 

Opening track Burning Choir is the soundtrack to chaos, all delivered with the sound of a band who are veering rapidly out of control. This is what a car crash sounds like. Roaring, vitriolic vocals, savage riffs and maniacal drumming. All delivered in a maelstrom of blackened thrash that is unrelenting from start to finish. It’s a rage that continues for the first few tracks. You can nod your head along to the Comet of End Times and the title track before having more layers of skin removed by the abrasiveness of The Deep Ends. I get the feeling this isn’t about swimming pools of the 1970s though! 

The current line-up comprises Tervonen, bassist Felix Lindkvist, drummer Jesper Rosén and new guitarist Leo Buchalle. Their influences are many, and they throw in elements of punk and classic metal alongside their jagged and fiery thrash, death and blackened style. Given that Sarcator are only in their early 20s, there is a controlled maturity about Swarming Angels & Flies. The musicianship it tight, and whilst the feeling of chaotic lawlessness is always simmering, the band have it tied in and locked down throughout. The lead guitar work is razor-sharp, scalding lead breaks puncturing the swirling vortex that they create. Evidence of their potency comes in the form of Closure, a six-minute instrumental that rolls into the final part of the album. A creative and expansive instrumental, it carries a Western twang to counter their more aggressive side. As well as the eight ferocious tracks here, Sarcator also provide three cover versions of tracks that mean something to the band. Unsurprisingly, there’s Black Vomit from Sarcófago, punk legends Anti-Cimex’s Dogfight and the visceral thrash of Sadus on Torture. 

Sarcator - Swarming Angels & Flies

For those interested in a band who are displaying substantial talent and creativity whilst still unleashing the rawest yet competently excellent blackened thrash, then Sarcator are one that should be fully explored. Now on Century Media, this is a band who could easily go very far. 

“For us, it just feels extremely rewarding that a label of that class is seeing something in the music that we dedicate our whole lives to”, says Mateo. “I think that the magic can really happen now, between the hunger of a band and the strength of a bigger label, people we've always wanted to reach out to will have a bigger chance of taking notice”.


Swarming Angels & Flies is released via Century Media on 25th January

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