Enter Forest of Shub Niggurath with Paganizer.
To celebrate their signing with Xtreem Music, the band led by Rogga Johansson (guitar/vocals, Carve, Dead Sun, Eye of Purgatory, Furnace, Massacre, Megascavenger, Revolting, Ribspreader…), Matthias Fiebig (drums, Blodsrit, Carve, ex-Ribspreader), Martin Klasén (bass) and Kjetil Lynghaug (guitar, Heir Corpse One, Stass, Ribspreader…) offer us this new EP.
After a few bells and whistles, The Outer Gods remind us that the band plays Swedish-style Death, and that they’re not here to sort out the lentils with their bloody, HM-2-style riffs topped by Rogga‘s ranting. A few darker touches appear from time to time during the slower, more disquieting passages, but the rhythm becomes more energetic again with Forest of Shub Niggurath, which anchors itself in this wild, jerky Old School approach. It’s also clear on this track that the band has included more occult elements than just a wave of raw power, while Malediction Burns borrows from Brutal Death with its introductory sample and obvious aggression. The track is relatively short, as is Rlyeh Ascends, where the musicians offer a relatively more melodic approach while retaining that distinctive, abrasive sound, which continues with A Foul Creature, where a few more screeching harmonics give relief to certain passages. Gasmask Obsession Redux brings the EP to a close with tones tailor-made for the stage, be it the catchy Thrash/Death influences or the regular accelerations, and we know we can count on this track to take our necks out one last time.
Although too short, Forest of Shub Niggurath shows that Paganizer‘s occult Death Metal is still insanely tasty. The EP offers us everything we’re looking for from the Swedish scene, and we can’t help but savor it and shake our heads.
95/100
