It comes as no surprise to see a Death Metal review pop up with Rogga Johansson involved. Still, Astrophyte might very well be a project of his that most of you have not heard yet. Alongside Mike Hrubovcak (ex-Monstrosity, Divine Rapture, and working with Rogga in House by the Cemetary) and Fredrik Petersson (known from bands like Portrait and The Ancients Rebirth), Rogga is joined by Indii Hofvander, who previously provided her vocals for Furnace, another project of Rogga’s.
On ‘2192’, Astrophyte has chosen to tell a futuristic story, set in a dystopian world full of war and alien invasions, a kind of ‘War of the Worlds’ if you will, which is also clear from the artwork inspired by the Mutant Chronicles World role-playing game.
Musically, you could describe Astrophyte as their own mix of Unleashed playing Hypocrisy’s ‘Roswell 47’, featuring prominent female vocals akin to The Gathering’s ‘Mandylion’. The female vocals, and the way they are used, will either attract or alienate you. It is so specific that it either grabs you right away or leaves you feeling that it does not fit together at all.
On one hand, it is something different, but on the other hand, it is still Rogga through and through.
