Last year, Sarcator flew under the radar with a pretty rad platter. On the heels of their mixed sophomore outing, 2025’s Swarming Angels & Flies served up delectable blackened thrash with necrotic notes and refreshing traditional/surf-rock side dishes. A year later, I’m surprised to see them already plating The Ones We Follow. Also surprising was word that this Swedish trio has all but abandoned thrash on album four, adopting a flavor profile they don with a curious descriptor: ‘death’s rock.’ Skepticism-inducing as any major sonic shift should be, the rock elements of Swarming Angels & Flies did elevate my excitement over Sarcator’s riffy brand of thrash with the crispy skin. In turning this element into the main course, I’m left wondering if these young Swedes returned to the kitchen prematurely.
Despite the generic shift, Sarcator still retain the unhinged aggression characterizing their blackened thrash menu. Indeed, guitarist/vocalist Mateo Tervonen belts an acerbic ‘owww!’ on opener “The Ones We Follow,” with drummer Jesper Rosén speeding between kit pieces underneath. It’s the guitar work, however, that distinguishes old from new Sarcator. Rather than relying on syncopated palm mutes and serpentine riffs, Tervonen and Leo Buchalle favor twangy licks and careening power chords. The solos also affirm this new, ‘classic’ approach, adding bluesy soul into the mix. Almost rockabilly in nature, it’s as if Hellripper collided with Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet. As the record progresses, Sarcator introduce a host of country western elements—slide guitar, harmonica, the occasional snake rattle—with big Wayfarer1 energy (“Volatile Insight,” “Ain’t Fit to Live”). These country western-isms might imply a seismic shift, but it’s not as if Sarcator sound like a completely different band. The sandwich is now (western-tinged) rock, but its wrapper is still youthful, abrasive, and—yes—blackened.
Sarcator build this batch of tunes atop time-tested chord progressions, with Tervonen’s vocals tasked with cutting through the listener’s palette. For the most part, he delivers. The choruses on “In Search of Oblivion” and “Volatile Insight” hit the sweet spot between attitude and stickiness through deliberate spacing and cadence. Tervonen’s tongue trills are tantalizing, becoming a bit of a signature throughout. Not every song, however, strikes a salutary balance. “The Underground Streets” could pay off its guitar earworm with a stronger vocal hook, while “Bleeding Ages” is in need of memorability. Penultimate country rocker “Wasteland Strider” tosses a vocal curveball, containing clean singing before it gets death n’ rolling. It’s a jarring change that, while well executed, feels a little like variety for variety’s sake this late in the album. Production-wise, Tervonen’s voice is a bit more prominent in the mix than I’d like, at the expense of melodic support from the bass.2 But overall, The Ones We Follow sounds open and punchy, with Tervonen’s voice commanding deserved attention.
While not their longest meal, The Ones We Follow pits a girthy album length against a mostly immediate vibe. Shorter songs like “The Ones We Follow” and “You Gotta Possess Me” kill it, kicking in the door with controlled chaos. The clash between immediacy and girth, however, reveals itself mostly in the album’s epics. Seven-minute centerpiece “Rotting Chapels” implies scope with its key-changing buildup, but it ends up sounding like a longer version of the abrasive surf rock heard earlier. Meanwhile, closer “Wanderlust” epitomizes its title, wandering from mid-paced cowboy bumps to “Hot for Teacher”-style fretboard gymnastics and harmonica-sweetened blues dirt. It’s highly entertaining stuff, skirting the line between jamming and riff salad-ing. The album’s 50 minutes may look long on paper, but there’s enough head-turning developments to keep things interesting. The Dire Straits-y ending to “Rotting Chapels” comes to mind, as does the brush-fueled gallop in “Bleeding Ages.”
Leaving me a little hungry at first, The Ones We Follow ultimately won me over with its blackening of a more rustic protein. I applaud Sarcator for daring to change, and there’s lots of tasty stuff on here, with nothing off-putting. Still, The Ones We Follow could elevate its addictive attitude and classic songwriting with more vocal hooks and judicious editing. What crystal clear, however, is that the members of Sarcator are having a hell of a lot of fun here, rocking out and experimenting in equal measure. I’ll continue following these Swedes in the future, as they show signs of following The Ones We Follow with something seriously sumptuous.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 9 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: Reigning Phoenix Music
Websites: Bandcamp | Instagram | Facebook
Releases Worldwide: October 30th, 2026
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