Sweden’s Sarcator has made quite a name for themselves over the past six years, showcasing that this current generation of metal musicians can put out music that is just as intense and rabid as their thrash and black/thrash contemporaries from several decades ago. The group’s earlier material went for the throat with non-stop speed and riff after riff, but by 2022’s Alkahest the songwriting had evolved into more sprawling and diverse ideas. Admittedly there were some parts on Alkahest that sprawled a bit too far, resulting in a sometimes bloated feeling effort that still had its share of highlights. For album number three Sarcator has continued to refine their approach, and Swarming Angels & Flies smartly fuses the high-speed intensity of their earlier days with the sprawling refinement of the last album. It’s the type of effort I’ve been hoping for since I first stumbled upon the group courtesy of their Visions of Purgatory compilation and serves as a great early highlight of 2025.
Like many of their inspirations, Sarcator wastes little time in the way of intros or other build-ups, instead opting to come in hard and fast on opener “Burning Choir”. This opener feels like the perfect representation of how far they’ve come, as it seamlessly balances the earlier traditional thrash influences with scorching black/thrash, and hits with riff after riff. Compared to some of the other bands out there that nail the speed and ferocity but have a looseness to their playing, these guys have a more polished and technical edge that makes their music come through like a calculated assault. You can hear a conscious return to some of the brute force of their earlier material, but there are nuances to each song that showcase more of the growth and diversity offered on Alkahest. “Comet of End Times” is a great early example, as it barrels through with speed for the first three-quarters but throws in some varying rhythms and guitar work to finish things off. When Sarcator slows things down this time around the results are a bit more effective, as while songs like “Where the Void Begins” span past the seven-minute mark but have a lot of different elements to draw listeners in. My only complaint is the order of “Closure” and “Unto Sepulchres” feels reversed and the former goes on for a bit longer than it needs to, but this a minor flaw considering how much of this album has drawn me back. I also don’t usually comment on bonus tracks, but since the promo came with them this time it’s worth noting that the three covers included on the limited-edition CD version work well and showcase Sarcator’s influences. I’m particularly a fan of their take on Anti Cimex’s “Dogfight”, which remains as raw as ever.
Considering the aggressive approach the instrumentals take for much of Swarming Angels & Flies, it makes sense that Mateo Tervonen would also keep things as intense and in your face. This is another area where Sarcator nails that more rabid and unhinged feel that a lot of early thrash and black/thrash bands had, as each verse is razor sharp and hits hard without drowning everything else in the mix. While the pitch stays the same for much of the album, Tervonen does vary the delivery to shake things up and when you combine this with the extended periods of time between each verse it keeps things from getting repetitive. He has a much sharper and rapid cadence when the band picks up speed but slows down and lets each scream and growl reverberate as the tempo shifts. It’s small touches like this that add to the intensity of the material and keep the listener on their toes.
For album number three Sarcator has returned to the sheer fury and speed of their earlier days while keeping the dynamic elements introduced further on in their discography. It cuts down on some of the bloat from their last effort and gives listeners plenty of killer riffs from one song to the next, making this an album I’ve had on repeat since the year first started. It’s exciting to see this band continuing to refine their approach and laser focus their attack and considering how young all the members are there’s likely plenty more to come. Swarming Angels & Flies is available from Century Media Records.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg