It’s not too often that we get albums that recreate a particular Swedish death metal strain with remarkable adeptness and sincerity and also add a bit of their own sound to it. Helmed by Rogga Johansson (Paganizer, Revolting), Eye of Purgatory manage to do just that. This is for fans of semi-melodic death metal in the vein of Edge of Sanity, Dismember, Desultory, early Cemetary, early Tiamat, etc. and it sounds brilliant – you have the classic Swedish death metal tempered with shimmering melodies with all the emotive appeal intact. Two songs are streaming presently which can be found on Bandcamp HERE.
Eye of Purgatory (Sweden/US) – The Lighthouse (June 18th, 2021)
Genre – Death Metal
Release Date – June 18th, 2021
Record Label – Transcending Obscurity Records
For fans of – Edge of Sanity, Revolting, Rogga Johansson, early Tiamat, early Cemetary, Dismember, Unleashed, Entombed, Paganizer
Swedish death metal mastermind Rogga Johansson has displayed a penchant for infusing classic style melodies in his kind of death metal which is most evident in his eponymous band and also to an extent in Revolting and Paganizer. It’s reminiscent of the timeless bands such as Edge of Sanity, Desultory, early Cemetary, early Tiamat, Pan.Thy.Monium and others where they added a dimension without diluting the heaviness. Rogga’s bands are known to be fast and hard-hitting and such melodic depth counterbalances the pummelling demeanour and adds rare emotive appeal. The music straddles the conventional HM-2 death metal and the more melodic side of it brilliantly, keeping it tasteful and not oversaturating it with too much of either. Teaming up with members of Ribspreader and Venom Inc., he brings to life his vision of classic Swedish death metal with its inherent crunchy heaviness and soul-ripping melodies. Albums like these are extremely rare in these times especially ones with genuine emotive quality and conviction.
Line up –
Rogga Johansson (Paganizer, Revolting) – Vocals, Guitars
Taylor Nordberg (Ribspreader) – Drums, Lead Guitars, Keyboards
Jeramie Kling (Venom Inc.) – Bass
Artwork by Juanjo Castellano (The Black Dahlia Murder)
Logo by Christophe Szpajdel (Rogga Johansson)
Layout by Francesco Gemelli (Master)
Track listing –
1. And From The Fog…
2. The Lighthouse
3. Fornever To Awaken
4. Carved In A Stone Bleeding
5. Pieces Of A Fading World
6. They Silently Await
7. Where Slowly Life Fades
8. Rotting Pathways
9. Rebirther
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