### Paganizer: Carnage junkie

#### 21/11/08 || Kampfar

I like me some Paganizer, downloaded, listened to and enjoyed most of their albums even. In other words, I’m just the kind of guy needed to judge if “Carnage junkie” is worth your bandwidth or not. But first a bit more introduction. Paganizer has been around for the last 10 years or so, and genuine fucking death low on blast but rich on churn has been the name of their game ever since. Through the years they – or rather Rogga, the undisputed main-man and only founding mongoloid left – have shat out a heap load of splits, EP’s and whatnot – this in addition to 6 full-lengths. A fucking lot for sure, and when knowing that this Rogga is to be found in and fronting like a trillion other bands – Demiurg, Ribspreader and Paganizer perhaps his most “famous” endeavors – one can’t help wonder if the guy ever tossed a song, or riff, in the bin. Then again, most of his shit is really rather good, some of it ace even, but “Carnage junkie” happen to be none of the two.

It’s close to good, and close only solely thanks to a production gone awry. Sure, the mixing job is raw and basic, no make-up added, but how fucking impressive is that when “Carnage junkie” turns out to hardly rip at all? Not very, no. See, they, or whoever, mixed the bass so low it actually holds less punch than your pulse would 2 minutes after having your throat slit by me, aka properly done. And the guitar distortion isn’t exactly a buzz-saw wall of sound to be buried under, – I wouldn’t have heard the close to muted effort of the bassist if so was the case, fuckwit – so why the fuck didn’t they crank up the volume and add some distortion to it? Too much alcohol? Venereal diseases in full bloom? What the fuck?

And here comes more, for 17 tracks is entirely too much for a disc that doesn’t even sport a fucking solo; I’m dead sure some rotten ones would have livened up shit considerably. Oh, 5 of them tracks, the 5 last ones, got added because this album has been ready but on delay ever since 2006. They sound a bit different and are therefore labelled bonus tracks. Not different as in very fucking good though, so there will be no elaboration.

But I would like to add and elaborate on the fact that Mr. Fiebig, aka drummer-dude, sounds like he is suffering from the Mazurkiewicz-Syndrome. No, I’m not thinking about the shitty surname syndrome here, rather that he soundingly miss every fucking beat with a millisecond or so. Fucking annoying.

A letdown this, but “Born to be buried alive” – a 2008 release also, and recorded at a more recent date – shows a band already cured. So, fuck me, fuck this album, and rather buy or download some of their other shit.

5,5 out 10.

- Information
- Released: 2008
- Label: Vic Records
- Website: www.paganizer.com
- Band
- Rogga “Ponyrape” Johansson: vocals, guitar
- Patrik Myrén: bass
- Matte Fiebig: drums

- Tracklist
- 01. Death plain and simple
- 02. Among the unknowing dead
- 03. Alone in the morgue
- 04. Blunt blade surgery
- 05. Just here rotting
- 06. Grinded and exiled
- 07. Heal not your wounds
- 08. Carnage junkie
- 09. Sweet decay
- 10. Mummified alive
- 11. The rope tightens
- 12. The cadaverous
- 13. Massdeath maniac
- 14. Born to be buried alive
- 15. The morbidly obscene
- 16. Army of maggots
- 17. The festering of sores