Sarmat - RS-28

SARMAT - RS-28 (Self financed CD 2021)

Pretty damn surprising album arrived from Sarmat – who are a band, which I had absolutely no idea about before I got this CD, although I do remember Puki Mahlu and Mortis Dei, which were previous bands to some of Sarmat members. Anyway, “RS-28” is Sarmat’s debut album and it was already released a year ago. I am quite happy then that I was given a chance to listen to it, because it is very solid and worthy piece of death / black metal, played that quite Polish way if I can call it like that – and yes, if I was going to compare Sarmat to another band, then among others I would use the examples of Behemoth or Hate as comparisons, but the biggest similarity is Lost Soul, I think, with the exception that Sarmat music is faster and more uncompromising and much less complex. 

And that ferocity and full-speed intensity of Sarmat music is what I like the most, I think. Obviously, they do remember to bring some diversity into their songs, like in the excellent “You Don't Live in My War” for example, so there’s enough dynamics to keep the music interesting and not boring. But damn, all that blasting death / black metal sounds great. I love how much energy and aggression it brings, which for me are the essence of that style of music. Especially that the whole album is about 33 minutes long only, so there’s no chance a listener would start to feel bored and fed up with the intensity of the music. I certainly didn’t have such thoughts. More so, I think that Sarmat balanced everything very well, especially that occasionally you will be treated even with some more melodic and almost bombastic parts (“Evilution”, “Blackout (Scenario for Tomorrow) Part II”). What else can I add... The production is selective, it’s also quite sterile and sort of “modern”, lacking even a tiny bit of harshness or dirt – which for some listeners will not be a problem, while the others would prefer it differently. I may not be the greatest fan of such production style, but at the same I have to say it fits Sarmat’s musical style a lot. All in all, this is extreme death / black metal, there’s no room for compromises. And damn, I like “RS-28” a lot. I am looking forward to hear more from Sarmat. 

Standout tracks: “Coldgrinder”, “You Don't Live in My War”, “Blackout (Scenario for Tomorrow) Part II” 

Verdict: 80/100