SARS „Synthetic Domination”

Self-released, March 2025

Music: Death Metal, Grind
Website:
https://www.facebook.com/sarsband
https://sarsband.bandcamp.com/album/synthetic-domination

Duration: 29:05 (8 tracks)
Country: Poland

SARS is a relatively new band from Rzeszów (Poland) and its line-up includes some musicians who are also involved in groups like JESUS CHRYSLER SUICIDE and EPITOME, which stylistically are quite different from each other. The reviewed material was just released and at the same time it is their first full-length album, as they previously put out only the EP ‘thRough Reality’ and the single ‘Walk Through Shadows’.

The album starts with great song called ‘Submission’ – a very heavy and dark track that has quite dense atmosphere. The guitars moan in the background in between slow riffs mixed with low and furious vocals. After the opener, we get a quick shot with the grind-ish ‘On Corpses And Ashes’ in which the drums and riffs thrash along as per the genre’s guidelines. At the very end, there is a melodic solo, which contrasts with the main content of the track and proves that SARS can play something that stands out of the standard. Not that I’m against an orthodox approach to any genre and to faithfully following the tradfitions of extreme forms of metal music. I just do like it when a band sometimes interjects something extra here and there to spice up the atmosphere in a particular song or to surprise both the listener and themselves by going beyond the previously accepted genre framework.

For example, ‘Dissertation’ starts with a groovy riff, which would certainly be great for live shows. Its middle part has a short fragment of very catchy lick while the end of the song slows down in interesting way. All those elements fit well together in this track and you can hear that it was well composed in the rehearsal room. The aforementioned EP didn’t have such diversity and as many tempo changes, it was just more one-dimensional. The songs here don’t rush along at the fastest possible tempos throughout the whole album, but have a lot of slow moments. Sometimes, like in ‘We Were So Used’, the medium tempo is even the dominating one and the main focus is on slow, heavy riffs and the deep growl of the vocalist. What’s also cool about this track is the voice of reloaded rifle, which no one expects on the first listen and it makes bigger impression when you find out what the text is about.

‘Synthetic Domination’ is definitely a step forward and band’s current approach to extreme music in a more diverse version, which does not mean that it is less thrashy. On the contrary, contrasts always highlight the opposite musical poles and in this case it definitely works as it should. What is more, the album does not have boring or monotonous moments. If you are a fan of death / grind metal sounds, you will definitely not be disappointed by the contents of ‘Synthetic Domination’. Genre-wise, everything is composed as it should be, the sound has the right level of viciuosness and at the same time the songs contain additional flavours that introduce a certain breath of freshness. Let’s keep it up gentlemen!

Tracklist:
Submission
On Corpses And Ashes
We Were So Used
The Race
Sinister Roar
Dissertation
Von Ekelhaften
Alpha-Phthalimido Glutarimide

Line-up:
Marcin “Dyvan” Pitorak – wokal
Marcin “Cinek” Jasiewicz – gitary
Marcin “Baran” Barański – bas
Maciej “Surovy” Surowiec – perkusja

Rate: 7.0/10