PAGANIZER - As Mankind Rots review

 

PAGANIZER - As Mankind Rots

Xtreem Music

In all honesty my favorite Rogga Johansson affiliated band is PAGANIZER. It's the one that introduced me to him (aka 2009's Scandinavian Warmachine full length) and his obsession to keeping Swedish Death Metal alive and well. He's done it for me at least and for fans with all of these offshoot bands / projects he's been involved with over the years. 

But last year with another RIBSPREADER full length, As Gods Devour, sounding kinda borring. And the previous year you had the REVOLTING full length, Night of the Horrid, which was so fucking great. I had to wonder if Rogga was out of riffs. Well on this new PAGANIZER full length he's at his best again. I'll give em that.

So this fourteenth full length by PAGANIZER is everything you'd expect it to be or in other words it's Old School Swedish Death Metal. But on here Rogga and company seem to be more into beast mode than previous outings. As far as Rogga's vocals go he's gotten more evil sounding with age. And the riffs are fairly diabolical sounding throughout these eleven cuts. 

Obviously one key reason for this release sounding so damm good is the people Rogga has surrounded himself with in the band. For over a decade bassist Martin Klasen and drummer Matthias Fiebig have been the rhythm section from Swede DM hell. As far as lead guitar work goes it's Kjetil Lynghaug who's also been with Rogga for a decade.

So yeah this is a great fuckin album. I say that because 2024's Flesh Requiem was a let down. I haven't listened to that one since it came out. But this one hell yeah! If you still like that savage Old School Swedish DM sound brought up to modern times then PAGANIZER's As Mankind Rots is the release in 2026 to grab onto. 

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LISTEN HERE:

https://xtreemmusic.bandcamp.com/album/as-mankind-rots

RIBSPREADER - As Gods Devour review

 

RIBSPREADER - As Gods Devour

Xtreem Music

Well it wouldn't be a good year in Extreme Metal without a release by a Rogga Johansson affiliated band. The guy is the most hardest working Swedish Death Metal musician of all time. You know him from bands like PAGANIZER and REVOLTING plus a ton of other bands and side projects. Of course RIBSPREADER is a long time Death Metal act he's been in since the early 2000's. 

What we have here is RIBSPREADER's 11th album. I'm surprised that Rogga came out with this release with RIBSPREADER so fast since they had an album last year. 2024's Reap Humanity, which also came out on this label, was a damm good release in my not so humble opinion. Albeit I'm bias because I like the guy. But I thought the REVOLTING album was better. 

Anyways this time around the big change is Jon Rudin (who's played with Rogga in another project) replaces Jeramie Kling on drums. Rogga is still creating the guitar riffs, playing bass and delivering those beast like vocals. Also Hakan Stuvemark, from WOMBBATH fame is still laying done lightning strike lead guitar work. 

Musically this time around it's still a homage to Swedish OSDM but not so old. When I listen to this release I'm reminded of latter day GRAVE albums. I'm talking about GRAVE circa the late 2000's when they were like hey remember us type of stuff. That's what this album reminds me of. 

Still songs like "The Pig in You", "Rotten Soil Serenade" and "As Corpses Cry" are cool. The rest of this album is pretty much their last album lite. Sadly this is the first time I'm giving a negative review for a Rogga Johansson affiliated band release. Yeah this album is decent only which bums me out because I am a fan. 

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LISTEN HERE:

https://xtreemmusic.bandcamp.com/album/as-gods-devour

REVOLTING - Night of the Horrid review

 

REVOLTING - Night of the Horrid

Xtreem Music

Rogga Johansson, who I always refer to as the hardest working metal musician (well as far as Death Metal goes) in Sweden, has been quite prolific this year as far as quality goes. Back in the spring he came out with another cool sounding solo album, Otherworld. Add to that in the fall the new PAGANIZER album, Flesh Requiem, was released. Then earlier this year you had the new full length by RIBSPREADER titled Reap Humanity. 

Just for the record the three releases mentioned above are in my list of Death Metal full length favorites for the year. I mean they are great albums. And now this one comes out with some amazing cover art work to boot. This is the ninth full length by REVOLTING since starting out in 2008. Another amazing thing is that the line-up has always been Rogga Johansson (aka: Revolting Rogga) as vocalist & guitarist. Then there's Grotesque Tobias on bass and Mutated Martin on drums.

Now I might've said it before but it bare's repeating. Rogga Johansson over the past bunch of years has created the purest as well as truest form of Swedish Death Metal throughout his various bands / musical projects. Yes we've got the past and then it ended. Rogga took it and continued onward. The result is some of the greatest Death Metal ever to come out of Sweden. 

With that said checking out this latest REVOLTING album is like handing a loaded pistol to a drunk. I always thought that REVOLTING was Rogga's version of DISFEAR. Going back to their debut album, Dreadful Pleasures from 2009, it was more death thrash and hardcore (or crust) influenced than PAGANIZER. Be that said over the years the band's sound has become a guarantee of relentless rather than obvious repetition. 

Listening to this one I kinda forget the past and wish I could still slam dance to the opening track "Seven Severed Heads" or it's follow up "Blades Will Cut". But hey blasting this one while hearing the amazing melodic guitar soloing work it's way through some dynamic pounding beats is still cool. Rogga's harsh meets beast like vocals always rule. There's a melodic thread tagging on a savage pattern which works well as always with modern day Rogga stuff. In the end this rules.

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LISTEN HERE:

https://xtreemmusic.bandcamp.com/album/night-of-the-horrid

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!

https://shop.xtreemmusic.com/english.main.index.php

LISTEN HERE:

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

TO DESCEND - Mindless Birth EP review

 

TO DESCEND - Mindless Birth EP

Horror Pain Gore Death Productions

And yet another Rogga Johansson, the most prolific death metal artist in Sweden, side project. So regular readers of this blog, and frankly who isn't, will know I'm probably the biggest Rogga Johansson fan here in the states. It all goes back to hearing PAGANIZER's Scandinavian Warmachine from 2009. To me Rogga just keeps the Swede Death fun alive and he's willing to switch things up once in a while. 

Case in point here we have the third release by this Rogga project. The first was a short four song EP, People of the Abyssfrom, from 2018. After that we got a full length in 2021 titled Exorcism of Hope. Both of those releases are decent but I really like this new five song EP. I mean musically this one has a rougher sound. A meatier production that's old school Swede Death with a punch to the face. 

Of course Rogga delivers the riffs but then again he's always better settled when recording with familiar musicians. On here he's got guitarist Dennis Blomberg again laying down fierce lead work. Blomberg worked with Rogga in PAGANIZER and DOWN AMONG THE DEAD MEN. Also along for the ride are bassist Peter Svensson and drummer Marcus Rosenqvist. Both of whom also play in a host of other bands. Finally there's singer Jens Johansson who lays down some amazing barked vocals.

All in all and like I said earlier, this is better than the band's previous releases. We're talking about savage sounding old school Swedish DM with a touch of filth that could easily bring back the fans of old and should. Nuff Said.

https://www.horrorpaingoredeath.com/

LISTEN HERE: 

https://hpgd.bandcamp.com/album/mindless-birth

DEAD SUN - Soul Diseased review

DEAD SUN - Soul Diseased

Xtreem Music

For those of you who are regular readers of this blog (and frankly who isn't) you know for years now I've touted the greatness of Sweden's Rogga Johansson. In my not so humble opinion he is the most prolific death metal artist from that nation. You know him from bands like PAGANIZER, REVOLTING, RIBSPREADER, DOWN AMONG THE DEAD MEN as well as a whole bunch of other bands & side projects. In the mid 90's Rogga started DEAD SUN which was a side project where Rogga (guitars, bass, keyboards and vocals) took a side step away from the traditional old school Swedish DM mold. I've got a couple of those releases and they're damm good. 

Fast forward to the present and here we have the eigth studio album by DEAD SUN and it's pretty damm amazing. Sure I'm bias but fuck it. On this one Rogga pairs up with drummer Jon Rudin from HEADS FOR THE DEAD. On Soul Diseased the duo create a tour de force of melodic death metal which is catchy, adds atmospheric touches and even hints at some power metal bravado.

 

Every song on here, from the opening track "Sjuk Sjal" to closer "Premature Burial" is damm good. With a running time of just over thirty six minutes there's no wasted moment with these ten songs. Rogga has that rough baritone vocal which is cool as fuck. Add to that his amazing solo work whether he's ripping it or generating a melodic rhythmic tone that carries on in an epic fashion. The keys of course add that symphonic touch here and there. Great job Rogga!

http://shop.xtreemmusic.com/english.main.index.php

LISTEN HERE:

https://xtreemmusic.bandcamp.com/album/soul-diseased

 

LEPER COLONY - Self Titled review

 

LEPER COLONY -  Self Titled

Transcending Obscurity Records

So if you're a Rogga Johansson fan, and after all of these years of me writing about em who isn't. Then you might want to clear another CD shelf in order to fit in this one. I feel sorry for those vinyl collectors out there who live in two bedroom apartments. But be that as it may I've said it before and it always needs to be repeated. Rogga Johansson is the most prolific death metal musician in Sweden. 

Now with that said and considering the fact that his main band PAGANIZER put out one of the best albums of 2022, aka: Beyond the Macabre. You would think Rogga would take a fuckin break. Well no and that's why we have here the debut album by LEPER COLONY. This band consists of Rogga Johansson on guitars and bass. Plus there's Marc Grewe (formerly of Germany's MORGOTH) on vocals. And finally you've got drummer Jon Skare from the Swedish death metal band CONSUMPTION.

As far as this debut goes it's really like MORGOTH 2.0. Now that's not a bad thing. I like MORGOTH's first two albums (aka: Cursed from 1991 and Odium from 1993) but that third album sucked. Now MORGOTH, minus Marc Grewe, did put out an album some years ago but I never checked it out. So yeah this is MORGOTH 2.0 and it's damm good. 

Now seriously it's Rogga Johansson who is the star in LEPER COLONY. Sure the guy is the absolute king of Swede Death. But listening to his riff package on this album. It's clear he went back to the early MORGOTH albums and the guitar work of Harald Busse and Carsten Otterbach who passed away a few years back. I absolutely love what he's doing on this album whether it's the intense riffs, the slight melodies or the minor solos. Plus the bass work which shines through.

"Rapture Addict" and "Leper Colony" are my favorite tracks on here. And yeah Marc Grewe sounds damm good after all of these years. Plus Jon Skare delivers some killer drum work throughout. So yeah this album nails everything in my not so opinion of perfection. This is one of those albums you could/should listen to for a long fuckin time!

https://tometal.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://lepercolonydm.bandcamp.com/album/leper-colony-death-metal

RIBSPREADER - Crypt World review

 

RIBSPREADER - Crypt World

Xtreem Music

I must admit that I'm a Rogga Johansson fan. If I cared to move some stuff around. I could probably dedicate a shelf space alcove to just CDs by the bands he's been in over the past couple of decades. I mean I've said it before but it bares repeating. Rogga Johansson is the most prolific musician in Swedish death metal. 

But I believe it's time to access the present day stuff in a clear light. After listening to this latest release which is their ninth. I went back and pulled out their last one to compare. That release was Crawl and Slither from 2019 which came out on Horror Pain Gore Death Productions. That one was pretty damm good. But the comparisons are fairly obvious. 

Crypt World is basic death metal 101. Sure Rogga Johansson is amazing coming up with decent and powerful riffs. He also again plays bass on here which you can't hear. But hey the vocals are classic Rogga aka: deep blunt roars mixed with higher pitched screams. Those parts will never get old to my old ears. And I'll bang my fuckin head and raise my fist. 

But the down side on here is the basic drum work by Jeramie Kling. Sure he's been in the band for a while now as well as VENOM INC., INHUMAN CONDITION and the new version of MASSACRE. On here he sounds like programmed drums. 

As far as guitarist Taylor Nordberg, another INHUMAN CONDITION and MASSACRE alum, is concerned well if those are his solos then they have to be phoned in out of boredom. But hey I'll give this album it's due. Rogga is at his amazing best. There's some really cool songs on here like "Nocturnal Sanguinator", "Good Hatchet Fun" and my favorite "Into the Morbid Pits". 

My biggest problem with this album is that it reminds me of that piece of crap MASSACRE Resurgence album from last year. Maybe this is all the rejected material that Rogga brought to the table. Which is far better than that MASSACRE album. In the end if you're a Rogga fan then yeah you need this for the collection. Afterwards you'll say come back to Sweden.

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LISTEN HERE:

https://xtreemmusic.bandcamp.com/album/crypt-world

PAGANIZER - Beyond The Macabre review

 

PAGANIZER - Beyond The Macabre

Transcending Obscurity Records

Well I was kinda expecting some new music from Rogga Johansson, the most prolific Death Metal artist in Sweden, this year. A new PAGANIZER album fits the bill perfectly. Obviously if you're a regular reader of this website, and frankly who isn't, then you know for years now I've promoted every single thing Rogga Johansson has been involved in. No I'm not friends with the guy. He just creates music which I really like.

Which brings us to this latest PAGANIZER album. Now if you're a fan and thought 2019's The Tower of the Morbid was a fuckin beast then you're really gonna like Beyond the Macabre. Normally when a band is around for over twenty years sure you can expect a new release to be good or decent especially if your a bias fan. But no PAGANIZER now on their 12th full length, not counting all of their short form releases, just sound stronger. 

It also helps to have a consistent line-up for success and Rogga (guitars/vocals) has had drummer Matte Fiebig, bassist Martin Klasen and lead guitarist Kjetil Lynghaug working along side him for quite a few years now. That's the evidence because on here you've got this punishing batch of songs. There's also some melody worked in plus some dive bomb soloing. I think the Swedes invented that latter point. Add to that some headbanging groove. Plus with all the musical devastation you've got Rogga's raging beast like vocals plus he can even give ya a scream as well.

All in all you have to give credit where it's due. PAGANIZER, well Rogga Johansson, has never wavered when it came to flying the proud flag of Swedish death metal. While his influences and peers have silently stepped down Rogga kept going and strived to be the very best. Beyond The Macabre is a perfect example, it's genre perfection. It also doesn't hurt to have special guest Karl Willets of BOLT THROWER sing on the final track. 

https://tometal.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://paganizer.bandcamp.com/album/beyond-the-macabre-death-metal

NECROGOD - In Extremis review

 

NECROGOD - In Extremis 

Transcending Obscurity Records

This one took a while to grasp to say the least. I had to first go back for some history. Anyways a few years ago Rogga Johansson, who is Sweden's most prolific death metal practitioner (and in PAGANIZER as well as many more cool bands) hooked up with a guy from Costa Rica who goes by the name of "The Master Butcher". 

The Master Butcher is a vocalist who's in such bands as MORBID STENCH and INSEPULTO. Their collaboration took shape with an EP, The Inexorable Death Reign, from 2015. Obviously both individuals were happy with the results so they continued onward. So here we have the first full length from this collaboration. 

For starters I've gotta say this is some of the most intense shit I've heard from Rogga Johansson. The man is literally on fire with these blazing riffs. Then the solos come in like flaming meteors crashing into the earth. And then he throws in some decent melodic touches as well. Anyone who had their doubts about Rogga, as far as him simply being just Swede Death, can go stand in the corner. 

Now as far as the vocals by The Master Butcher go, this guy's a demon. He's got that blackened death hoarse pitch to his vocals. It's as if he's coughing up blood with every verse. I love that kind of singing style. Hell yeah not only is this an amazing album but it's a perfect album. 

https://tometal.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://necrogod.bandcamp.com/album/in-extremis-death-metal

EYE OF PURGATORY - The Lighthouse review

 

EYE OF PURGATORY - The Lighthouse 

Transcending Obscurity Records

The name Rogga Johansson has appeared on this site a lot. To say Rogga is the most prolific extreme metal musician from Sweden is an understatement. If you just had to take in all of the releases from the various bands he's fronted and the collaborations he's been involved with. You would be looking at a year's worth of music to digest, maybe more. 

EYE OF PURGATORY is another project which he started in 2018. The Lighthouse is the second album. On this one Rogga, who on here handles guitars and vocals as usual, enlists some buddies for the fun. On bass is Jeramie Kling from VENOM INC. And on drums there's Taylor Nordberg from another one of Rogga's bands, RIBSPREADER. Nordberg also contributes on lead guitar as well as keyboards. Yes I did say keyboards. 

Musically this is, as always, Swedish death metal with all the savagery and Boss HM-2 thickness. But to play around with it a bit EYE OF PURGATORY comes off as a throwback to classic melodic death metal of the 90's. Or better yet, classic melodic Swedish death metal that's not forgettable after a few listens. I'm not gonna name drop here but if you remember that era then you know what I mean.

Now aside from the riff salad by Rogga which is cool as fuck I like how the guitar leads flow through some of these cuts as opposed to biting your face off. The keyboard use is slight, in the background and is just allowed to give the songs depth. Nothing proggy or symphonic to bog things down although I think Rogga could do wonders with that genre style.

In a way this one reminds me a little of Rogga Johansson's solo album from 2019, Entrance to the Otherwhere. That one was a tour de force of melodic death metal worship with a better edge. I like this one better. It's a perfect release from beginning to end. 

https://tometal.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://eyeofpurgatory.bandcamp.com/album/the-lighthouse-death-metal

REVOLTING - The Shadow At The World's End review

 

REVOLTING - The Shadow At The World's End

Transcending Obscurity Records

Well it wouldn't be a normal year in death metal music if Sweden's Rogga Johansson didn't release at least a half dozen of his many musical projects. It's late in the year but I think he's been involved in more than six in 2020. Here we have the seventh full length by REVOLTING a band he's been doing since 2008. If his band PAGANIZER are the epitome of old school Swedish death metal than REVOLTING is it's slightly melodic brother. The key word is 'slightly' here folks. 

The first half of The Shadow At The World's End has a few melodic touches. But it's the latter half which Rogga and company break into a tutoral on correct sounding OSSDM. Think about GRAVE, DISMEMBER and ENTOMBED all in one package. There's a few times where I think this could be AMON AMARTH from their early days as well. You can toss in some VOMITORY as well.

The bottom line here is that whatever was done before, Rogga Johansson takes it and then gives it an enhancement which anyone into this style of music should go nuts for. Why wait for a band to come back when you have a band here just doing it well with cool as fuck riffs, soloing and a damm good pounding. Nuff Said. 

https://tometal.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://revoltingdeath.bandcamp.com/album/the-shadow-at-the-worlds-end-death-metal

GHOULHOUSE - Rigor Mortis Intermezzo review

 

GHOULHOUSE - Rigor Mortis Intermezzo

Horror Pain Gore Death Productions

So if you're a frequent reader of this blog (and frankly who isn't) then you recognize the name Rogga Johansson from the many releases I have the pleasure of writing about involving him. Rogga Johansson is without a doubt the most prolific artist / musician in the Swedish extreme metal scene. And although his extreme music pedigree is death metal. He's used grind, old school hardcore and even some death doom to his repertoire. Now that's been at least for the past twenty years at least. 

I've been a fan of his work for around twelve or more years starting with his signature Swedish death metal act PAGANIZER. After that I started getting into his other acts like RIBSPREADER and REVOLTING, both of whom are fantastic. Then there were the collaboration bands like JOHANSSON & SPECKMANN (with Paul Speckmann on vocals) or a true favorite of mine DOWN AMONG THE DEAD MEN (with Dave Ingram). But Rogga has so fuckin many bands/music projects out there that you could dedicate a whole wall shelf to releases his stamp is upon.

With that said here you have the debut album by GHOULHOUSE, otherwise Rogga's death metal historical dedication to zombies, gore and some weirdness. Along for this ride Rogga (who handles the vocals, the riffs and bass) has guitarist Hakan Stuvemark of WORMBATH fame plus someone by the name of Mr. Meatbeater on drums. (?) But anyways if you just look at the album's cover you'll notice two faces within the band name logo. The faces represent the US bands IMPETIGO and REPULSION.

Rigor Mortis Intermezzo is basically a homage to that old school death metal / grind brutality run through Rogga's Swedish OSDM filter. Now aside from the stupid synth pieces of "Ghoulhouse Theme" and "Decomposition Beat" which just pissed me the fuck off, this album is just fuckin crunching. Rogga is the master of that Boss HM-2 pedal Swedish death metal riff. On here his vocals are more bestial which rival the riffs. There's an emphasis on being as filthy as possible as far as the rhythms, vocals and simplistic drumming. Guitar soloing shine is minimal. In the end I'm fifty seven years alive and it's stuff like this which keeps a smile on my face, a sadistic one that is.  

http://www.horrorpaingoredeath.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://hpgd.bandcamp.com/album/rigor-mortis-intermezzo

JOHANSSON & SPECKMANN - The Germs of Circumstance review

 

JOHANSSON & SPECKMANN - The Germs of Circumstance

Soulseller Records

Seriously it was two weeks ago when I thought that this would be first year in a very long time that I would not be writing about a Rogga Johansson related release. And look at what we have here. For those of you who read this blog on a regular basis (and frankly who doesn't?) you know that I'm always giving high praise to the most prolific death metal artist in Sweden, Rogga Johansson. This here is just another one of his many side-bands which bares extreme fruit.

JOHANSSON & SPECKMANN is a project which matches Rogga (on guitars and bass) with the amazing Paul Speckmann (vocals)from MASTER. This band started back in 2013 and along for the ride are two other Rogga side project alumni as in Brynjar Helgetun on drums and Kjetil Lynghaug on guitar. The Germs of Circumstance is their fifth full length. I must admit that I got into this Rogga project late but ended up with two previous releases by em. Both of those are fuckin great.

While the previous two JOHANSSON & SPECKMANN releases I have are fairly straight forward old school death metal love in a US/Swedish themed attack. This one here is more on the death thrash side of the aisle which is something Rogga has kicked around in other side projects. Musically the riffs are really fast paced with driving drumwork by pounder Helgetun. As far as the DM equation goes it's more Swede death style which includes Kjetil Lynghaug's choice of guitar soloing technique. Of course Paul Speckmann's filth ridden vocal style is spot on and kinda gives this more of a old hardcore edge as well. another winner.

http://www.soulsellerrecords.com/

LISTEN HERE:

https://soulsellerrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-germs-of-circumstance

PAGANIZER - The Tower of the Morbid review

PAGANIZER - The Tower of the Morbid

Transcending Obscurity Records




OK bias alert, I am a Rogga Johansson fan. If you're a regular reader of SFM666 (and frankly who isn't?) then you would know that. I first got into his music a decade ago and since then I've pretty much respected everything he's done in the world of extreme metal via all of his various bands/side projects. But I got into his main band, PAGANIZER, first and to me my favorite of all his work.


I got into PAGANIZER's 2009 full length, Scandinavian Warmachine, when it came out. It was/is an incredible release which I still hold in high regard. It came out at a time when old school death metal, especially old school Swedish death metal, was making a revival. But as I learned PAGANIZER were an old band who started out back in 1998. So they were not part of the new wave at all. In fact they were carrying the flag of old school Swedish death metal high long before it became a trend. 


OK so I'm a fan so what's with this new album you may ask. Well I liked 2017's Land of Weeping Souls a lot. So we've got this fluid continuation of what if the two points of the Swedish death metal trident (aka: ENTOMBED & DISMEMBER) didn't peter out? Add to that a touch of the more melodic Swede Death on a few cuts.


Rogga's vocals are harsh and heavy as fuck like a bear grunting and hungry after hibernation. The riffs are ripping and the solos, what few their are, seem adequate. The key words here are relentless and dedication. If you liked the last album then you'll enjoy this one too. Great cover artwork as well.


https://tometal.com/

https://paganizer.bandcamp.com/album/the-tower-of-the-morbid-death-metal

https://www.facebook.com/paganizersweden/

RIBSPREADER - Crawl And Slither review

RIBSPREADER - Crawl And Slither

Horror Pain Gore Death Productions




Rogga Johansson (guitars / vocals) is a busy man. I've already written about some of his other musical projects this year which are many. I did the same last year. There's also three PAGANIZER releases this year to check out. As far as RIBSPREADER goes this is another on going for years act of his that's dedicated to the love of old school Swedish death metal. Rogga Johansson just wakes up every day and creates music even if it's similar to what he created the day before. 


While I can't say I follow all of his many musical projects and seriously there are a lot of em present and past. There's a couple that I've been a fan of for years. RIBSPREADER is definitely one of em. They've been around since 2004 and I got into em a few years after that. Over the years the band has been Rogga on vocals, guitar and sometimes bass with anyone he can find to sit in on drums or guitar. So far he's done well since this is RIBSPREADER's eighth full length.


Musically this is Swedish death metal circa 1988-90. Now I know you've heard it all before whether from the original trident or all of the OSSDM worshippers that came around a decade ago. Some of whom still linger around today. To that I say so fucking what. Quite frankly this is far better than say BLOODBATH whose career is all about the worship of the old. It's far better than most newbie OSDM acts out there as well. 


Crawl And Slither is just a damm good release packed full of crunchy Swede Death riffs, Rogga's rough and gruff vocals plus song structures that tap into the whole formula of a patented style. There's your typical galloping riffs, some death and roll plus some doomish moments. From a Rogga aficionado perspective this is better than the last one, The Van Murders Part 2, from last year. And if you still crave Like an Ever Flowing Stream, Into the Grave or Left Hand Path then here you go.



http://www.horrorpaingoredeath.com/

https://hpgd.bandcamp.com/album/crawl-and-slither

https://www.facebook.com/Ribspreader-148182408532846/

GOREGANG - Neon Graves review

GOREGANG - Neon Graves 

Transcending Obscurity Records




The two members of GOREGANG (Jeramie Kling – vocals, guitars and Taylor Nordberg – drums, guitars) are both alumni of Sweden's Rogga Johansson's musical enclave. Check out the releases of RIBSPREADER. Hell Rogga's even involved with this release via the layout by Turkka Rantanen who's another alumni of his. But on the other hand Jeramie Kling plays drums now with VENOM INC. (aka: We Hate Cronos).


With all that said I'm not surprised that this Floridian duo have a touch of Swede Death n Roll to their overall sound. Maybe DISFEAR is a point of style to signal an influence. Toss in some DISSECTION for good flavor as well as DISMEMBER, AGNOSTIC FRONT and one of my favorite Floridian bands HOT GRAVES. This is the second release by GOREGANG. Prior to this full length they also put out a three song self titled EP in 2017. All three of those cuts also appear on here. 


Neon Graves is a dozen songs that have me sitting on a painful fence. On one hand they sound like a cool hardcore band that likes some death metal and can actually play their instruments. While on the other side it's like a lo-fi death metal act covering every old school base in order to sound cool. Either way it's a cool and memorable listen. I was on my way to work the other day and had the songs "False Flags" and "Plague of Hammers" in my head for hours. Fun Stuff.



https://tometal.com/

https://goregangband.bandcamp.com/album/neon-graves-death-metal-crust

https://www.facebook.com/goregang/

DOWN AMONG THE DEAD MEN - And You Will Obey Me review

DOWN AMONG THE DEAD MEN - And You Will Obey Me 

Transcending Obscurity Records




Here we have yet another Rogga Johansson side project. Then again isn't everything he's involved in a side project? OK he's still got PAGANIZER and THE GROTESQUERY. But seriously Rogga has so many oars in the water it's a wonder if he even remembers what he's played before. After so many years of listening to his work I can attest he doesn't. 


But serious DOWN AMONG THE DEAD MEN is a side project Rogga started in 2013 with Dave Ingram of BOLT THROWER fame (amongst other acts he sang for) plus fellow PAGANIZER guitarist Dennis Blomberg. They use a session drummer. This is their third full length together and the second one I've heard. Musically, and I've said this before, Rogga is going for a more straight up death metal version of DISFEAR. Better yet think of this as DIS-PAGANIZER.


Now with all of that said this is still an exceptional release. I mean you've got Dave Ingram belting out incredible vocals while Rogga and Dennis Blomberg totally rip on guitars. From start to finish this is fuckin fantastic. Frankly this is more ENTOMBED meets BOLT THROWER than DISCHARGE. Sure there's a surge of simple hardcore riffage (I'm old and we called it Hardcore before you kids called it crust). In the end I love this.

https://tometal.com/

https://downamongthedeadmen.bandcamp.com/album/and-you-will-obey-me-death-metal-crust

https://www.facebook.com/DownAmongTheDeadMen

THOSE WHO BRING THE TORTURE - Necromancer review

THOSE WHO BRING THE TORTURE - Necromancer

Selfmadegod Records





I have this aversion to bands with too many words in their names. They almost always turn out to be some type of 'core' act which makes me want to wretch. Seriously one time I actually choked on my coffee listening to some band with four or five words in their name. I'm pretty sure it was that I WRESTLED A BEAR ONCE band. Their release came in for review years ago. What a horrible band, didn't they all die in a fiery crash? 

Which brings us to this one here, THOSE WHO BRING THE TORTURE. Wow what a segue that was. This band's from Sweden, are death metal and have actually been around for quite a while. They released their self titled debut ten fuckin years ago. This is their fifth full length. Look I'm not gonna be a wanna-be know it all douche bag and think wow how did this band escape my death metal radar. Chances are you wouldn't know either. But after seeing who is in this band then the fog starts to lift. 

Does the name Rogga Johansson ring a bell? OK probably not but he's also in the death metal super-group THE GROTESQUERY. If that doesn't do it for ya then how bout PAGANIZER? Yeah I know, we all have a copy of Scandinavian Warmachine and if ya don't then get it. But onto this, Rogga (vocals/guitars) and his two cohorts (Dennis Blomberg - lead guitar and Brynjar Helgetun - drums) are basically going through the melodic death motions on here. The first couple of cuts were like mediocre moments of mid-period era GRAVE. In fact the promo info about this cites GRAVE, HYPOCRISY and MALEVOLENT CREATION as relative to what you'll find on here. Yeah on their bad days.

Of course there are some decent fast paced moments on here like "Relics Of A Future Past", "The Morons Are Running The Asylum" and the final cut "Humanity Has Left The Building". Unfortunately a couple of decent songs doesn't cut it. I can appreciate and respect Rogga Johansson for his creativity and dedication to his craft. But you know whenever you spread yourself out so thin you're gonna get overlap as well as boring. 

Rating: 2/5

http://selfmadegod.com/

https://selfmadegod.bandcamp.com/album/necromancer