Sarcator : "The Ones We Follow"

This Swedish trio is thrashing out this time around. By the second song, there is more rock n roll swagger as the chords ring out with a more western feel. Then they got full throttle while still flirting with reverb-heavy rock guitars. It brings Kvelertak to mind. I am not sure I would call this black n roll, though it is heading in that direction, and the vocals are unrepentant in their attitude and snarling. If it were an entire album like the rowdiness summoned on "You Gotta Possess Me" I would get bored, but hopefully this exorcism of energy allows them to approach the rest of the album with more dynamics and nuance. 

The western sounds that open "In Search of Oblivion' do resurface to add more atmosphere to the furious rocking, but it is mainly focused on the uptempo thrash rock.. These elements they are experimenting with should have been given more space in a manner that would hold greater bearing on the direction they were heading on "Rotting Chapels," and it would have been more intersting. Not sure why Western music is being blended with black metal with such frequency in the past few years, but that is where we are at.

"Bleeding Ages" brings these elements to this album for the first time, adding a spooky post-punk vibe. At various points in the album, these western sounds clang out in a manner that evokes a rockabilly feel. I would not be surprised if the Cramps were an influence on them. At times, the feral energy gets the best of them, "Volatile Insight " being one of those moments. Their fascination with rootsy American music goes so far that they bust out slide guitar on " Ain't Fit To Live".The more deliberate beat is what sets this song apart. It gives things an almost Aerosmith feel.  

The sung vocals on "Wasteland Strider' are an improvement and a needed dynamic shift. Midway into this song, it takes an awesome turn into a cool groove, the best song of the album so far."Wanderlust" shows none of the restraint or melody the previous song had. Overall, this is a great direction for the band and a step forward. I will give it a 9.5 and see if it grows on me. It drops October 30th on Reigning Pheonix Music.