SARCATOR

THE REVIEW

Swedish extreme, blackened, hard rock trio Sarcator returns with their forthcoming album, The Ones We Follow, set for release on Oct 30TH via Reigning Phoenix Records. The band blends all elements of metal, with bits of thrash, goth, and traditional, plus blackened death vocals tied together in a hard rock motif. Starting with the heavy title track, ‘The Ones We Follow’, the song blasts with death-like vocals and a thrash chug, mixing in a cool 1960s guitar tone. ‘The Underground Streets’ brings another heavy vocal performance in a more classic rock tradition, where harsher vocals mix well with a heavy rock sound. ‘You Gotta Possess Me’ has a cool crossover, thrash/punk vibe that would be a great song to hear live with a Napalm Death vibe set to heavy rock, while ‘In Search Of Oblivion’ has a softer intro leading into a cool traditional, progressive rock groove that continues to push experimentation with this album.

‘Rotting Chapels’ builds up a growing momentum and rips into a massive rock riff with lots of hooks and a fantastic guitar solo. ‘Bleeding Ages’ features a killer bass intro punching a more bluesy sound, staying very catchy with a perfect rock mix with harsher vocals as it speeds up. ‘Volatile Insight’ opens with another heavy barrage of riffs that gives the track a retro feel—one of the album’s heavier, faster tracks, with crunchier guitar tones and a definite Midnight vibe. ‘Ain’t Fit To Live’ opens with a cool southern rock vibe that continues throughout, with a darker, heavier vocal mix that makes it one of my personal favourites. Meanwhile, ‘Wasteland Strider’ opens with cleaner vocals and showcases the album’s best guitar work, making it another key track with a different vocal style.

‘Wanderlust’ tops out at over 7 minutes and brings the album full circle with heavier riffs, hooks, and the return of harsher vocals, making it another catchy track fans will love. What I like about this band is their attention to detail, melding an accessible rock rhythm with harsher death metal vocals while adding some thrash and traditional metal in between. The rock vibe definitely harkens back to the 1960s, modernized for a 2026 audience.