Leper Colony – Leper Colony
Release Date: 13th January 2023
Label: Transcending Obscurity Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Death Metal, OSDM.
FFO: Death, Morgoth, Asphyx, Pestilence, Slayer, Cancer.
Review By: Rick Farley
Any time legendary underground musicians get together, chances are you’re in for something special. Well, at least in the metal world anyway. Mark Grewe’s (ex-Morgoth) screechy distinctive growls over riff monster Rogga Johansson’s (Paganizer) guitars and bass is a death metal fans wet fucking dream. Throw in Jon Skäre (Consumption) pounding the skins, and you’ve got yourself a supergroup that’s sure to play some killer old school death metal. Right?
You’re god-damn right they are, Leper Colony is a blast from the past in the highest regard and quality. Undeniable death metal tones with chug power, hellacious maniacal screams, and caved chest sized drumming set to turbo kill. From front to back, this is a thrilling riff fest. Chock-full of duelling guitar leads, massive hooks and creative melodies all under the guise of influence by way of the old.
Leper Colony visits all the best parts of early Death, Slayer and Asphyx, while bringing a ton of their own personality into the fray as well. Self-titled Leper Colony doesn’t reinvent the wheel in any way, but it never intended to, or even needs to. This is pure, unadulterated death metal by people who’ve already been there. Songs like The Human Paradox will have you banging your head to its crunchy as fuck chunky power riffs and Mark’s sing along worthy raving lunatic delivery of pure growling and wailing ugliness. Mark’s voice is unique in the idea that he has massive variance, being able to dial up seemingly at will, Chuck Schuldiner and Tom Araya while still being highly identifiable as himself. Snarls, screeches, spits, snorts, throaty yells, and demonic gutturals, it’s all there. Musically Rogga can do the exact same thing, being able to execute very Leprosy style melodic guitar patterns, with thrashy hook filled riffs on The Surgical Undeadvors is an absurd show of propelling guitar riff mastery. This album is built to headbang to, no holds barred, take no prisoners style. Aggressive chuggy power chords with melodic accents is full of pit bound stompy hooks and devastating tempos.
Aside from the extremely cool, slow melodic intro of A Flow so Greatly Macabre, If you’re not smashing your living room on this one, there’s really no hope for you. Galloping guitars, pummelling double kick, and pulsating bass at a hellish tempo with the only goal of destroying everything, is a total blast to wreck stuff to. That’s the main thing with this album, Leper Colony, is it’s a hell of a good time that just meant to brutalise you. The befitting ending track Gruesome End has a little up-tempo Obituary flare amongst is angry as fuck vibe. Jon really sets the pace on this one with fast double bass patterns, thrashy style snare hits, and creative fills. His use of standard slower beats to more intense speedy drumming in the same song creates major style and is part of the reason Leper Colony is such a blast.
Even with such blatant influence, this album stands on its own merits with originality, just from the musicians involved and their execution of this record. Great production that’s not overly polished, but also not too dirty. kickass old school vibes sure to bring back memories of the best period in death metal, or at the very least make you jealous you weren’t there at the time. Either way, Leper Colony just plain kills. 
(4 / 5)
