SARCASM are from Upsala, Sweden and they were formed in 1990. They released several demos during their early traditional Death Metal period, which lasted until 1994. After their reformation in 2015, the band played a more melodic Death Metal with different influences. They released four full-length albums, one EP, and several compilations so far. “Mourninghoul” is their fifth album, and it was mixed and mastered by Rory Mackrory (BLOODBATH; FRANTIC AMBER; KATATONIA) at Rorysound Studios. The album has a length of more than 42 minutes, and it was released via Dutch Power, Thrash, and Death Metal specialists Hammerheart Records.

 “As Northern Gates Open” is the first song on the album and what a start! It is a frantic opening at fast pace with crushing riffs, double-bass drumming and a few blast-beat episodes. The melodic framework is spine-chilling and has occasionally neo-classical vibes. The growling vocals are at around the medium end of the guttural range with little tonal shifts in either direction. The vocals have a few Black Metal vibes, which contribute excellently to the sound. There are many lead guitar contributions throughout the track driving the melodies. The song ends quietly with an acoustic guitar part accompanied by a piano. “Lifelike Sleep” starts with punishing riffs and a blast-beat thunderstorm, which is maintained during the verse parts. It is a track at blistering pace with blood-freezing melodies, in particular during the chorus parts. The mid-tempo break intensifies the grim atmosphere of the track, before the track goes back to the crazy pace for the next verse part. There is a short but contributing lead guitar solo and the melodies further contribute to the darkness of the track. “Lifelike Sleep” is an early album highlight. “Withered Memories Of Souls We Mourn” starts with a grim pre-lude led by the keyboards and a choir, and it perfectly sets the scene for another bone-chiller. It is a powerful track at mid-tempo with thunderous riffing for the chorus parts. The melodies are doom-laden and are coming out straight from the abyss. The track switches between mid-tempo and a measured tempo at an almost stomping rhythm. The latter one creates the blood-freezing atmosphere. The track is one of the best of the album.

 “Dying Embers Of Solitude” starts with a short guitar-driven intro at a measured tempo, transitioning into a verse part at crazy pace. While the verse parts are fast, aggressive and driven by the riffing and the blast-beats, the chorus parts are played at a measured tempo within a chilling melodic framework that includes a few melancholic features. The slow parts create a grim atmosphere, and the vocals are perfectly suited to enhance the darkness of the track. “Dying Embers Of Solitude” was uploaded to YouTube by the label, and the link is provided below. Another Doom inspired song is “A Lucid Dream In The Paradigm Stream”. After a sluggish start with doom-laden melodies, the verse parts kick in with a lot of aggression and pace. The chorus parts provide the contrasts as they go back to a measured tempo. The break with the lead guitar contributions and the female vocals reminds me on the early 90 period of PARADISE LOST, however, the track has been inspired by many different influences and this is just one of them.

 Some parts of the album are also influenced by modern Black Metal and one example is “Awareness In The Dark” with the pace, the atmosphere created by the guitars, and the vocals. Highlight of this track is the extended lead guitar solo. Lead guitar solos are not necessarily a common album feature, but the few of them always add a different dimension to the tracks. “No Solace From Above” starts with a piano-driven pre-lude transitioning into another blood-freezing track at a slow tempo with a sluggish rhythm and grim melodies with doomy vibes. Despite all the darkness, it is a change in sound, away from the aggressive Death Metal towards a more melancholic Doom Metal approach, which is mostly evident by the rhythm, the lead guitar contributions, and the lead guitar solo. “No Solace From Above” is with almost nine minutes playing time the longest album track. “Absence of Reality” is the final song of the album, and it has another frantic start transitioning into verse parts at a measured tempo with punishing riffs, while the chorus parts are fast and aggressive and occasionally blast-beat supported. Combined with the spine-chilling melodies that are most prominent during the slower parts of the track, “Absence of Reality” is a great track to end the album.

 SARCASM deliver an excellent Death Metal album. “Mourninghoul” is a mixture of several subgenres including melodic Death Metal, blackened Death, Doom Metal, and Black Metal, resulting in a blood-freezing album sound. A good songwriting made sure, that there is no repetition, and that the album sounds fresh and dynamic. The strength of the album is the grim melodic framework, and all the songs were built around this. The album is well produced. Death Metal fans who love a doom-laden and blackened sound will be delighted with the album, and “Mourninghoul” is one of the best Death Metal albums I heard this year.