Label: Transcending Obscurity Records
Date: November 1st, 2024
Let’s move for a while to the country I’ve lived in for fifteen years. As we all know very well, Sweden had, still has and probably will always do it great and prominent metal scene. It’s the best known in the field of death metal, and I feel that most local bands create music like that. One of the most recognizable characters in Swedish, and not only, scene is Rogga Johansson. The number of bands he collaborated with is huge and it’d take too much time and space to name them all. Besides, I guess it was quite boring to read so many names – especially if most of them could say anything to you. Anyways, the parent ensemble and at the same time the one he plays the longest is created 1998, on the ashes of Terminal Grip, where he also played, Paganizer. So, as you can see, I address these words to ones who somehow didn’t hear a word about him, even if I just can’t imagine it, Rogga has very long experience as a musician.
“Flesh Requiem” is thirteen full-length in Paganizer’s career. And I must say thirteen in this case isn’t some feral number at all. Guys never released some crappy albums in my opinion, and they always kept at least a very decent level. This album was released by Indian Transcending Obscurity Records in All Saints, or if you prefer to call it like that – Souls’ Day, continue this glorious tradition. I tell you even more, I think this is one of the best works of the ensemble. And believe me, I know what I’m talking about, because I know their creativity is quite good. I mean, I come back to older albums from time to time and do it with huge wild pleasure. It’ll be the same situation with “Flesh Requiem” for sure, to be honest! Someone could of course say that we’re dealing here with twelve songs like the indistinguishable death metal. And I’d basically agree with such an opinion, but with one “small” caveat. Through these forty minutes and thirty-four seconds we’re listening to the very high quality old-school Swedish death metal. I think the most, even very most if not all of the readers, know extremely well what it means and what are components of such creativity, how it sounds and “look like”, so I don’t bore you with describing riffs, growling and stuff. Personally, I associate this music with a much well-known band who was born in Visby 1988 on ashes of Corpse, even if guitarist and vocalist Ola started his music trip a few years earlier with Rising Power. But I also find here elements of several Stockholm ensembles.
I’d also agree with the opinion that all releases of Paganizer are in the same vein, it’s almost impossible to hear something at least a little original here and so on. But in my world, this is a huge advantage, and I deeply doubt that’s only because I come back to my younger years, early nineties. I know there’s many music orthodoxies like me on this planet, people who feel real Metal spirit – and not necessarily at my age. Such maniacs I heartily recommend this full-length, and you guys should get this as fast as possible! So, don’t wait any more, go to label’s or band’s Bandcamp to get this in digital or physic (LP or CD) form. Well, as I know life and our approach to the matter, our passion for vinyl or polycarbonate plates or booklets, this first one, even if this is the cheapest one, will not be the most wanted version of this death metal masterpiece.
In the last words of this review, I ‘d like to share some general reflections. And it concerns the recognition of Paganizer, which, outside the underground community worldwide, unfortunately is quite weak. I know Rogga never worked with some giants on the metal phonographic market and choice was always on these more underground labels, but I still don’t get why this is like that! My misunderstanding of the thing may be of course associated with years of underground activities and such nature. I somehow was always more interested in discovering music on my own and thought music defends itself. It seems I was wrong all these years, but I still hope it’ll change some day. And here I see the advantage of digitizing the reality around us.
