Leper Colony – Those of the Morbid

I will come right out at the start of this review and say I am not a fan, nor do I understand Rogga Johansson and his million bands. That is another topic/subject, tho, for you and me at a bar with a drink in hand to discuss the finer points and get a healthy dialogue going.

We are all here for a review, and you know why we (meaning me) are here? Specifically, I signed on to this for Marc Grewe. His band Morgoth and those first two albums set a standard for me in my youth. As a young metal sprout, I was delving into all that was dangerous and loud. His voice was (and still is) a big draw for me. He has a slight John Tardy, Barney G, Martin Van Drunen quality to his voice, and along with the sound Morgoth was creating in those early days, it just made my life good and hell for my neighbors.

So with my above little rant about Rogga, you are probably wondering, has I do about how much this differs from his multitude of other projects. Well, you can probably draw comparisons to all of them in some shape or form. Obviously with Marc singing I would say you got a more legit old school feel to the material and times it touches upon elements of Morgoth. With Leper Colony and this being the 2nd full length it’s good to see there is still a stable line up of sorts and the addition of Håkan Stuvemark lends a much needed dynamic with his solos and to uplift an otherwise typical Rogga riff fest. Plus I am not sure whose input it is but the songs and tone in general come across a bit angrier sounding. Mr Grewe really seems to have some pent up fury to expend. One thing I particularly enjoyed is the overall tone of the album. It has an almost d-beat / Discharge element happening. You can hear this on ‘Flesh To Rot To Ashes’ in songwriting and in its lyrical content.

I am partially surprised with myself because I found myself liking elements of this album and I attribute it to a better cohesion and interplay with these particular band members. It’s not just Rogga and insert random musicians here and let’s get together and make songs. There seems to be an interplay happening amongst them. So getting back to my introduction, who’s to say this is better or more worthwhile of your time and makes this a gotta have compared to your 20+ choices? So while I may pass a glancing eye to Mr. J’s other output, I may more than likely push aside my bag of Cheetos, put down my video game controller and see what the next offering from this crew is about.

Another reason I will get up off my sweat-soaked couch is because of the album cover art. As with the first release from the guys, a word needs to be said about the standout visuals accompanying these releases. I will admit I am a sucker for eye-catching art. So, all you fanboys, I hope I am not on your blacklist, and for the curious, this particular one may just be worthy of your attention.