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Review: Paganizer - Promoting Total Death
Paganizer
www.facebook.com/paganizersweden
Promoting Total Death

Label: Forever Underground
Year released: 2001
Duration: 30:12
Tracks: 9
Genre: Death Metal

Rating:
3.75/5


Review online: September 15, 2003
Reviewed by: Scott Murray
Readers' Rating
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Rated 3.67/5 (73.33%) (3 Votes)
Review

Paganizer is one of those underground gems that I just love to promote. They had me hooked when I first heard the 2002 release Dead Unburied (Thanks Michel), a merciless chunk of old school Swedish brutality in the vein of classic Grave, Vomitory and newcomers Bloodbath featuring Dan Swano (who produced said album and the latest release Murder Death Kill) and Mikael Akerfeldt, who lead death warrior Rogga sounds similar to in his more recent vocal excursions, including Edge of Sanity's much anticipated Crimson II in which the mighty Paganizer offers some grueling growl support.

Looking back pre-Dead Unburied (where I say the band really broke through and found its niche under that broad umbrella term "death metal") Paganizer has an E.P., a demo and two previous full length releases, the one in question here being 2001's Promoting Total Death.

The sound is recognizable, but the band still managed to make a huge leap forward between Promoting Total Death and Dead Unburied. This one is a little less defined all around, with more slower passages that often times will bring your unquestionable urge to trash out and flail that neck to a screeching halt, rawer vocals and some nice bass leads (makes up for the lack of the meaty dual guitars) and groove throughout the recording. Paganizer was a three piece at the time so the guitar work isn't as full as on the more recent outings, but the bass matches up nicely to fill out the sound.

The production is pretty uneven at times, especially when it comes to the Show No Mercy toned solos mixed in with the double bass and hi-hat crashing and at many times the instruments aren't all operating on the same wavelength.

The potential for large scale Swedish death warfare is here for sure on this solid outing, and with an album a year for the past few Paganizer's next release is already underway for a 2004 release.

More about Paganizer...
Review: Beyond the Macabre (reviewed by Sargon the Terrible)
Review: Dead Unburied (reviewed by Scott Murray)
Review: Flesh Requiem (reviewed by Sargon the Terrible)
Review: Forest of Shub Niggurath (reviewed by Michel Renaud)
Review: Land of Weeping Souls (reviewed by Sargon the Terrible)
Review: Murder Death Kill (reviewed by Scott Murray)
Review: No Divine Rapture (reviewed by Michel Renaud)
Review: Promoting Total Death (2018) (reviewed by Michel Renaud)
Review: Scandinavian Warmachine (reviewed by Sargon the Terrible)
Review: The Tower of the Morbid (reviewed by Michel Renaud)
Review: The Tower of the Morbid (reviewed by Sargon the Terrible)
Interview with Rogga Johansson (guitar/vocals) on March 4, 2003 (Interviewed by Scott Murray)
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