I don't know what they are putting in the water in Sweden, but they have always had some top notch death metal, the latest in this proud tradition is Paganizer with a new release, On The Outskirts Of Hades on Transcending Obscurity Records. An album that speaks to all the core tenets of the death metal ethos and pounds your skull in for track after track. This is punishing and beautiful Swedish death metal chugging along at its finest.
Though it's a mere four songs long, On The Outskirts Of Hades accomplishes a lot and it shows us the true potential of this band in as much as what they are and what they aspire to be. That is to say: a rock solid grooving death metal band with some monolithic riffs and a sense of forward momentum that borders on the terrifying. There is a wonderful sense of darkness to what Paganizer are doing here and the melodic touches that they bring into their sound are stunning really filling out their potential.
A record worth a handful of spins Paganizer prove their merit here and leave you wanting more. I mean, the band has been around for almost twenty years, they know exactly who they are and what they want to be doing. The fact that their latest offering is as dominant and overwhelming as this one should come as no surprise. It sees the band expanding on what we knew they were capable of and guiding us into an ethereal and demented world of sonic salvation and ritual torment.
Overall: 7/10
