Extreme Metal Maniac Blog : ROGGA JOHANSSON

Thursday, April 4, 2024

ROGGA JOHANSSON - Otherworld review

ROGGA JOHANSSON - Otherworld

Iron Blood and Death Corporation

The hardest working death metal musician in Sweden is back. Yes here we have the fourth solo album by ROGGA JOHANSSON. Now regular readers of this blog (and frankly who isn't) know that over the years I've become a huge fan of ROGGA JOHANSSON whether it's his work in various bands like PAGANIZER, RIBSPREADER, REVOLTING, EYE OF PURGATORY and a ton of others as well as his solo work.

Speaking of which, his second solo album, Entrance to the Otherwhere, from 2019 is a fuckin classic. I still keep it in my stack of stuff (aka: a stack of CDs that I never put onto the shelves). Now as much as I like the releases he's done in bands I still think that album is cool as fuck. And the cover art work is awesome as well.

Now as far as this latest one goes, it's like part four of Rogga's long time saga pertaining to the Otherwhere, Otherworld and the Mordbrand. In fact there's two songs on here about Mordbrand, a song title name which originally appeared on his first solo album, Garpedans, from 2017. So when I listen to this stuff I'm whisked away to some fantasy world. Which is not much different when I was young and reading sci-fi / fantasy novels.

Musically Rogga's solo work is more melodic Swedish death metal which is not far from his work in the band EYE OF PURGATORY. But I believe I said in a previous review that this music reminds me of early AMON AMARTH minus the viking shtick. I mean Rogga's vocals are not far from sounding like Johan Hegg. And of course the riffs are heavy but not ripping to the point of Rogga's other outfits.

In the end I find this latest one by Rogga great (I'm bias) but a complete continuation of 2022's Inside the Otherwhere. And not only musically but look at the cover art work and you decide.