After the initial collision of "Determined To Strike" with the ears of jazz and metal fans across the known universe, SARMAT return with a thoroughly upgraded musical configuration and a conceptual sequel to the "Dubious Disk" debut EP. In just over 21 minutes recorded live at GOJIRA's renowned Silverchord Studio and expertly mixed and mastered by Colin Marston, SARMAT expand their exploration of the boundaries of jazz and extreme metal in two compositions, the title track "Upgrade" - which fittingly includes a reimagining of "Landform," among the cornerstones of "Determined To Strike" - and "Serum Visions," their most musically ambitious and conceptually vast effort so far, with bassist Steve Blanco from IMPERIAL TRIUMPHANT playing synthesizers, and with the sound of an upright bass played by Niko Hasapopoulos. The band's new guitarist and composer, Zachary Blakeslee Reid, a student of the renowned NY avant-jazz guitar master Elliot Sharp, has been in the band's circle for many years and has already demonstrated his great technical skills in live settings. James Jones' sprawling, spider armed drums, always creative and powerful, along with Blanco's unhinged musical expressions, remain the pivot on which SARMAT build their furious jam sessions based on devastating technical death metal and jazz-fusion, shortening the distances between DEFEATED SANITY, GORGUTS, WEATHER REPORT and JOHN ZORN thanks to sophisticated arrangements and a furious yet elegant songwriting in which the trumpets of Oskar Stenmark and Jerome Burns alternate with the very deep growls from new and excellent singer Ilya Belko. SARMAT have experienced a massive "Upgrade", and through this release they decisively exhibit qualitative continuity and total expressive freedom that give a glimpse of exciting future developments.
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