Thrash Metal
Finland

Released 6th February, 2026

Although out for six weeks, VARKAT have been enigmatic building up to this release, and since. With little social media presence, I feel lucky to have stumbled upon this one.

The Tuusula thrash quartet’s debut is a bit of a different throwback, yet also exactly what’s vibing with modern thrash right now.

There are only 5 tracks on PURE SCHEMATICS, and it comes in at half an hour playtime, so kind of qualifies as an album.

A VICTIM sets the mood with a groovy drum intro before having at it with classic thrash abandon.
Vocally, it reminds me of the Pete Steele bark of Carnivore. Indeed, the album has a certain New York Hardcore grunt and gristle running throughout, making for a viscous listen.

As stand out tracks go, VARKAT are on the spot with HANDS OF THE SICK. Nine minutes and thirty six second exercise in 1980s Metallica excess and exploration, and Northern European brute force. A splendidly dirty bass tone heralds a stomp march of chugging proto death/thrash when, at the halfway mark, they find their progressive bent with excellent results before the shred continues. I would say the album is worth hearing for this song alone, but there is more gold in this vein.

The grandiose Masters… vibe continues with the instrumental BETWEEN REALMS, and props goes to the bassist, Lukas Vilpas. He has an ear for what tone fits which song.
REVEL AMIDST DARKNESS shows some cool drum work from Topi Viljakainen. It is here where we get some real Finnish musicality and melodic punch, amid even more stylish guitar work from Likka Ropponen and Eetu Mikkonen. Theirs is a sultry and crushing guitar tone that cuts through perfectly.

The final track, THE SECOND FLOOR, has the hallmarks of peak Entombed, with nods toward the late, great L G Petrov in the vocal delivery. It builds, releases then repeats with great results, leading to a textbook crescendo finish.

Even with the inspirations within PURE SCHEMATICS, VERKAT have stamped a unique sound both addictive and exemplary. These enigmatic young lads have got that juice that comes rarely when emulating a classic thrash ideology, and we all need to drink deeply and hope it never runs dry.

PURE SCHEMATICS by VARKAT is available now on all streaming sites.
Check them out on Instagram here.