Usually, you would think a band that just came to our attention after emerging from the ethereal would take, at minimum, a year before putting out new material for one reason or another. Yet, there is always a handful out there that defy such convention and go head-first into the fray without so much as a second thought. After just putting out a live EP not even a month ago, the fresh act of Sarmat (not to be confused with the Polish act of the same exact name) is already primed to show us what else they’re capable of with their debut full-length album. Much like “Dubious Disk”, the prowess and intensity of this creation is not to be denied!

Already, we find the state of death metal in an insanely progressive position despite the genre going in many different directions. Throwing together the trademark brutality of death metal with the unpredictable, progressive nature of jazz music is far from a novel idea anymore after throngs of other acts have managed to do so in spectacular fashion of the years, but in no way does that mean there still isn’t much to be done with such a combination. Case and point: “Determined to Strike”. Despite having the outward appearance of classic death metal reverence with a sci-fi twist, Sarmat quickly proves itself to be far more than an act that we can easily put a pin on. Between the frenetic nature of the album and its voracious sci-fi themes that make their presence known right from the very cover art, Sarmat’s first full-length onslaught is not one whose power is to be denied in any form! Just as capable of intense passages that really show off the talent and ferocity that Sarmat has in overwhelming amounts, there isn’t so much as a shred of “Determined to Strike” that doesn’t catch the listener off-guard as what just occurred is just as bewildering as whatever comes next.

As eviscerating as it is awe-inspiring, Sarmat’s proper entry upon the scene is exceedingly bombastic with every given aspect of the listen offering a particular brand of death metal that we simply don’t see done to this extent elsewhere with this record surely raising the bar from here on out. Whatever is to follow from the likes of Sarmat be it in just a couple of months or several years from now, the seeds sown by “Determiend to Strike” will surely have me crawling back for more, and I can only hope to see you do the same.

“Determined to Strike” releases on June 16th via I, Voidhanger Records!

LISTEN to an advanced track from “Determined to Strike” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Sarmat on Facebook here.