Back in 2020, when I was running Posercorpse webzine, I interviewed Jonas Kjellgren and we kept in touch after that. When he later sent me Nekrodawn’s debut ‘Sculpted By Torture’ as a gift, it wasn’t just another album arriving in the post. I already knew Jonas and had followed his work for some time.
‘Sculpted By Torture’ was a seriously brutal record. I remember being struck by the weight of it, particularly the guitars and the overall ugliness of the sound. It had that filthy Death Metal character I enjoy, without feeling like a band had simply gone through the motions of recreating an old Swedish record. I kept going back to it, which is always a good sign.
Now Nekrodawn return with their second full length, ‘Covenant Of Carnage’, released through War Anthem Records. Jonas handles vocals and guitar, joined by Mika Lagreen on guitar, Johan Jansson on bass and backing vocals and Henrik Axelsson on drums.
There is plenty of history between these musicians. Johan Jansson’s name goes way back through Interment, Centinex and a number of other Swedish Death Metal bands. Mika Lagreen has his own history with Facebreaker and Grave, while Henrik Axelsson has played with The Crown and has worked with Hypocrisy. Jonas has also spent years involved with Centinex, Carnal Forge, Scar Symmetry, Ironmaster, Raubtier and other projects. So there is no shortage of experience in this lineup, but listening to ‘Covenant Of Carnage’, I never get the feeling that the album exists simply to put those past bands on display.
The first thing that struck me is the guitar work. ‘Neath Skies Of Iron’ starts the album with a thick, aggressive sound, but there are details in the guitars that become clearer the more you listen. Jonas and Mika have plenty of room to work with the riffs, and the leads aren’t just there for decoration. They help give the songs their own character.
‘Massacre Eternal’ moves into heavier territory and has some of the album’s more satisfying riff changes. I like the way Nekrodawn aren’t afraid to pull back from the faster sections and let a riff sit there. It gives the music more weight and stops the album becoming one long blast of speed.
The title track is darker, with a different feel to the guitars, while ‘Liberty’s Pyre’ and ‘Feeding The Greed Machine’ bring some of the faster attack back into play. There is obviously Swedish Death Metal running through the album, but the songwriting isn’t tied to one particular era. You can hear the musicians’ wider experience in the way the songs move between different tempos and moods.
Johan’s bass also deserves some credit because it isn’t completely swallowed by the guitars. It adds a noticeable layer underneath the heavier sections, particularly when the band slows down. Henrik’s drumming is equally important because he doesn’t overplay the material. The faster sections have plenty of force, but he knows when to let the riffs take control.
‘Crowned Devourer’ is one of the darker cuts, while ‘Condemned To Existence’ goes back to a heavier, more direct approach. I found myself coming back to the guitars on these tracks because there is more going on than is immediately obvious on the first play.
Then ‘Claws Of Pestilence’ changes the pace again. It takes its time before the full band comes in, and that works because the album has already established its heavier side. ‘Incarnate Doom’ has some good melodic guitar touches buried within the aggression, and ‘Thy Spineless’ continues that darker thread.
By the time ‘Drones Of Deceit’ comes around, things get more direct again before ‘Desolation Reigns’ closes the album. I don’t find myself thinking of individual tracks as isolated pieces either. They work better as part of the whole record, with the changes in pace giving the album some breathing room.
The recording process was spread over 2023 to 2025. Henrik recorded the drums at home, while the guitars, bass and vocals were recorded at Blacklounge Studio, with Mika handling additional guitars at his own studio. Jonas took care of production, mixing and mastering. The artwork comes from Mitchell Nolte, with Chris Orosz handling the layout and Emma Kjellgren the logo.
I also think the production suits the material. There is enough clarity to hear the different instruments, particularly the guitars and bass, but it hasn’t been cleaned up to the point where the music loses its rough edge. The drums have impact and the guitars still sound heavy rather than overly processed.
Having known Jonas since that 2020 interview, I know how driven and focused he is when it comes to his music. That dedication is easy to hear in ‘Covenant Of Carnage’. There is attention to the details without the record becoming overly polished or clinical.
Compared with ‘Sculpted By Torture’, I hear a band that has expanded the songwriting without losing the heaviness that made the debut work. The first album hit me because of its sheer brutality. ‘Covenant Of Carnage’ gives that brutality a little more room to breathe, particularly through the guitars and the changes in tempo.
There is a lot of experience behind Nekrodawn, but the best thing about the album is that it doesn’t feel like a résumé set to music. It sounds like four musicians who have spent years playing Extreme Metal finally settling into something that belongs to them.
