Paganizer : "Flesh Requiem'

Not sure why I have never given this Swedish death metal band much of a chance. Oh wait, maybe I do. Swedish death metal tends to go one of two ways. Either it's guitar harmonies that want to be Dark Trquility or blown-out chugging in the style of Entombed. Yes, there are exceptions, but I do not have time to sort through them all. These guys are more like Entombed, but without the crusty edges, and more of a 90s Tampa feel, but darker due to the Northern European energy. They straddle the fence between feeling like a cross between the two options mentioned earlier on the title track. 

Three songs in a nothing is really blowing me away here. It's a professional presentation, everything is tight and they seem to care about the songs so you are not getting belted with blast beats. It just feels like middle-of-the-road death metal and I am awaiting a more defined personality to emerge. You can pull off a sound and play everything right, but if you do not inject who you are into the songs, nothing will make you stand out from the pack. This is their 13th album, and considering they have been making music for the past twenty-five years it makes me wonder who keeps buying what I imagine to be the same album repeatedly. This does not suck, but nothing sets it apart either. If AI made a death metal album I would imagine it would sound like this as it checks off all the obligatory boxes.

"Viking Supremacy" just kind of blasts by with lyrics that also seem very bland, the songs are beginning to take on a very uniform feel, as they pour on the relentless speed. There is almost more of a power metal gallop to 'Wolrd Sycthe" that brings Amon Amarth to mind, who is another Swedish band that does little for me. Though this might be one of the album's best songs, as there is a little more nuance. " Necromonolithic" rage in the same cold blood red color of aggression. The vocals remain in the same monochromatic growl, at this point, I am enduring the album and just trying to get through it for the purpose of this review as it's clear these guys are pretty much a one-trick pony, even with the touches of melody in the more purposeful guitar parts here. Even with the occasional catchy riff, the rule here is "Cool riffs alone do not a good song make". 

"the Pyroclastic Excursions" works well enough and it was wise for me to take a break from this album at 8 songs in so I can return to it with fresh ears as it all began to sound the same to me. It's a common problem with death metal, as they paint their songs with single-minded aggression, though bands like 200 Stab Wounds, Frozen Soul, and Gatecreeper have all proven exceptions and releases killer shit that is the bar death metal should live up to. "Just Another Doomsday" is a cool title, but the content is pretty average. The manner they speed up on "Suffer Again" feels uninspired, the drummer feels like they want to rush the song. The thrashing of 'Skeletons" was needed to bring more dynamics and purpose. Sure it's a little more along the Entombed lines I will give this album a 7.5, there are moments where you can tell these guys are good at what they do, but the tomb from which they are doing it could use some refreshing up as it brings nothing new to the table.If you are a fan you will be pleased they stuck to the formula, and you can expect what you want, the rest of us might need something more inspired, but have fun with this.  The album drops on November 1st on Transcending Obscurity Records. 

pst415