SARCASM began in Slovenia in 1987. The teenage trio of Ales Blaznik (guitar), Sandi Dolinar (bass) and Matjaz Kacin (drums) began their career playing heavy metal covers, their first being Slayer’s “Black Magic”. After gigging in their hometown of Kranj, SARCASM started writing their own songs and added the vocal talents of Osim Cehic, aka Paco. Their initial demos were recorded in 1988 and garnered positive reactions from the Yugoslavian metal community. With the addition of second guitarist Matjaz Hudobivnik later that year, SARCASM became one of the leading names in the nascent Slovenian metal scene, opening for MOTORHEAD and counting the likes of DESTRUCTION among their fans. “Crematory” is the first official full-length from SARCASM. Originally released on cassette by the band in 1989, this record is a milestone in both eastern European metal and 80’s thrash in general. Lightning fast and deftly executed, SARCASM’s attack recalls the best of pure 80s speed with a tonal grounding in classic heavy metal. The guitar work of Blaznik and Hudobivnik is razor sharp, with unreal twin harmonies and truly mind-bending solos (see “The Krueger Story”, for example). Paco’s vocal stylings pay homage to the early works of Tom Araya while remaining unique in their deliberate application. A classic in Slovenia, “Crematory” belongs in the international canon of classic thrash metal.
