Rogga Johansson (also Paganizer, Megascavenger) is a
work-a-holic and an icon if you talk about Swedish old school death metal. He is
the Volkswagen of death metal, reliable, decent, but not too special or
pretentious. Everything he does can be recognized and has the same quality. I
have not yet heard an album by him that is below average. Decent is what you
can call every album, but the problem is that there isn't one that really
strikes out.
I have been a big fan of the chuggy Swedish D-beat death metal style since the first albums of Dismember, Entombed and Unleashed. This new Ribspreader fits me like
hand in a
glove again and I listen to it with a big smile, but again there is nothing new.
In this case however that isn't a problem at all, because I just don't expect
anything else from Rogga. I would be disappointed if he had changed his style.
Besides the big Swedish influences, the riffing has quite some Carcass
resemblances. Especially in the song "Asylum of the Rotting", if you can't hear
Carcass there, you're probably deaf.
Fans of Rogga in general, the bands I already mentioned or early Bloodbath
aficionados
have to buy this.
