AN NCS PREMIERE: PAGANIZER — “ROT SPREADS”

 

Undeniably, rot does spread, whether in wood, in human flesh, or in a damaged mind. Decay and decomposition are the natural end-points of organic life, the inevitable by-product of death. Once the spark goes out, the path to ruin is usually very slow — but the rot in the Paganizer song we’re presenting today spreads like… wildfire.

We hope that Paganizer needs no introduction. As the oldest and longest-running of the numerous groups to which the great Rogga Johansson has devoted his talents, it is a musical landmark that rises high above the gnarled forests and subterranean crypts of Swedish death metal. Unlike most living things, the music of Paganizer also seems immune to rot and deterioration. Arriving 20 years after the release of Paganizer’s debut album, the new full-length, The Tower of the Morbid, is full proof of that.

 

 

Paganizer’s musical vision of rot is supernatural. Neither slow nor insidious, “Rot Spreads” is a turbo-charged crusher, a ruinous rampage that also burns like an uncontainable fever. It is, in two words, pure mayhem.

And the mayhem begins immediately, with a horrifying howl and an assault of pummeling drums, plundering bass, and a writhing mass of chainsaw guitar. Those dense, writhing tones rise and fall with a deranged energy, and the riffing occasionally switches into a slashing mania over a cracking snare beat — as Rogga’s monstrous roars send shivers down the spine. The song is ghoulish as well as gargantuan in its impact, slowing to a cadaverous lurch before picking up steam again, just in time for a spitfire guitar solo that wails and shrieks in demented ecstasy, and then charging ahead like a crazed juggernaut driven by flickering guitar and mauling rhythmic propulsion.

 

On this Paganizer release Johansson is ably aided by lead guitarist Kjetil Lynghaug (Echelon, Johansson and Speckmann), bassist Martin Klasen (ex-Vicious Maggot), and drummer Matte Fiebig (Mordenial, Portal). The entire enterprise is also aided by the masterful Dan Seagrave, who created the fantastical cover art.

The Tower of the Morbid will be released by Transcending Obscurity Records on November 1st on vinyl and CD, and digitally. You can gaze upon these offerings via the pre-order link below, and along with our premiere you’ll also find streams of two other electrifying tracks from the album that have been previously released — “Apocalypse Writings” and “Cannibal Remains“. Enjoy!

PRE-ORDER:
https://paganizer.bandcamp.com/

PAGANIZER:
https://facebook.com/paganizersweden

TRANSCENDING OBSCURITY:
http://tometal.com/
http://facebook.com/transcendingobscurityrecords