RIBSPREADER - Reap Humanity review

 

RIBSPREADER - Reap Humanity

Xtreem Music

How does a band creating a genre-centric sound/style of music (in this case Old School Swedish Death Metal) stay relevant after slightly over twenty years of existence? Well in this case you have mainman Rogga Johansson (vocals, guitars, bass) who has an unrelenting passion and conviction towards the music. It also helps to have some associates who care just as much as you in creating the music. 

A few years ago I said that RIBSPREADER is Rogga Johansson and anyone else he can get to play the other instruments. On this tenth studio album it's Rogga still singing, doing the guitar riffs and playing bass. Along for the ride is still Jeramie Kling on drums (formerly of VENOM INC. and did drum duties in that last line-up of MASSACRE.) Add to that you've got guitarist Taylor Nordberg from DEICIDE (who was also amongst that last MASSACRE line-up. 

So with one Swede and two Americans playing death metal in 2024 what would you expect. Well for me it's like Rogga Johansson takes over MORBID ANGEL and shows em how to play death metal again. Obviously when Rogga was doing the whole MASSACRE thing a few years back he was taking notes. One basic principle he got was a good mix of atmosphere, brutality and fuckin speed. Reap Humanity is all of that. I wish that I was standing in the audience watching the band play this album in full. I could see the crowd going apeshit crazy. 

Musically this is full on slam pit action whether just moshing along or hell bent violent pit action. You've got nine songs in thirty six minutes which is perfect for attention time. Every song grabs your attention to the hilt. Rogga, as always, relies on a mix of DM vocal styles whether it's the brutal grunts, the hate filled baritone screams or the diabolical almost spoken wordings. Of course his guitar riffs are powerful, sick as well as twisted. 

Add to that Jeramie Kling's drum work on here is amazing. Then again I thought that when he was pounding for WOMBBATH as well as VENOM INC. I might've said it before but it bares repeating. Jeramie Kling is one of the most versatile drummers in Metal today. Now as far as the lead guitar work goes, Taylor Nordberg (who's in DEICIDE now) lays down some lines which are more of a background atmospheric take. While other times he's firing on along side with the rhythms or adding some wicked solos that add to the sinister sound. 

All in all as much as I like what RIBSPREADER has done in the past. I really like this album a lot. It's one of those albums that ten years from now you're gonna still wanna blast till the neighbors call the cops on ya. Hell Fuckin Yeah!

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LISTEN HERE:

https://xtreemmusic.bandcamp.com/album/reap-humanity