Paganizer - Flesh Requiem - CD

Swedish death metal veterans Paganizer only seem to get better with age. Where most bands mellow down or start repeating themselves in a mechanical way, Paganizer’s music has increasingly become more nuanced. They are able to express themselves far more effectively, both when swinging the axe and also when conjuring up the soul-tearing melodies out of thin air. They’re stepping out of their own shadow and imbuing their music with emotive tunes which work exceedingly well because of the contrast with the heavier parts. It’s naturally done too, part of taking the sound ahead rather than forcibly altering it. The result is a sound that is superbly tempered; a glorious, progressive alternating between the bone-splintering music and tuneful expressions of the innermost feelings. ‘Flesh Requiem’ has some of the best songs written by the band, a varied mix of the kind of music you’ve come to expect from the band and some refreshing epic ones, and with so many of them getting seared in your memory after listening to it, it’s easy to regard the album as among the finest in their extensive discography.