Paganizer – As Mankind Rots
Release Date: 5th February 2026
Label: Xtreem Music
Bandcamp
Genre: Swedish Death Metal, Death Metal, Old School Death Metal.
FFO: Entombed, Grave, Ribspreader, Vomitory, Bloodbath, Heir Corpse One, Dismember.
Review By: Rick Farley
“The Scandinavian War-machine rolls on! After twenty-seven years, thirteen full length studio albums and an ever-growing brood of EPs, split releases, live albums, and compilations, Paganizer still sound adrenalized, bloodstained, and glorious! It seems that Rogga Johansson still wakes every morning with a new batch of rotten riffs hatched inside his head, clawing to get out into the world…and album number fourteen is ready to lay waste to all that stands in its path. It’s time for As Mankind Rots!”
That’s about as good as a beginning to a review gets. I can’t credit the exact person who wrote it, however, but it’s here out in the world, for everyone to read and hopefully get excited enough to continue on. Disclaimer, the rest is not entirely positive.
Swedish death metal band Paganizer formed in 1998 and quickly became torchbearers for a sound not long-lost but beloved if done correctly. The HM-2 worship pioneered by the likes of Entombed and Dismember. If you’re familiar with Swedish death metal, even sort of, you’ve probably heard of Rogga Johanssson. He is an old school death metal machine, churning out buzzsaw riff after buzzsaw riff as a member or founder of numerous bands. Three of which are releasing new albums just this month. Paganizer, Heir Corpse One (which I just reviewed) and Eye of Purgatory.
As Mankind Rots sounds exactly as you imagine it would if you’re already a fan of the band. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s also not always ideal. In this case, while this record is nearly the same as the last one Flesh Requiem, it’s only been a little over a year since that album was released. So, it stands to question should have Paganizer waited longer? The answer is a resounding yes, while this is an enjoyable album for the most part (I’m looking at you Vanans makt, more on this later) it doesn’t bring anything that I wasn’t already getting from Flesh Requiem. If you really want to get truthful, 2022’s Beyond the Macabre is better than both of these albums by a considerable margin.
I don’t want to come off like I’m just bashing As Mankind Rots, because that’s not what I’m actually trying to convey. All the tropes are here for you to enjoy, bellowing harsh vocals, woodchipper style riffs, punishing drums and filthy, crunchy Swedish death metal. The fuzzy distorted basslines sometimes peak out under the crusty savagery, no frills songwriting, and bursts of relentless musical beatings form in a formulaic swarm of headbanging ferocity. This brings me back to; this album is good enough to check out and jam a bit, but is it what I wanted from the band. No, not this soon. It feels very safe and pushed. Sure, on the surface this checks every box you’re looking for in a Swedish OSDM record, but so did their most recent one.
As far as closing track Vanans makt is concerned, it’s a throwaway filler track with guest vocals from Bulten of Swedish punk band Lastkaj 14. It sticks out here like a sore thumb. It was already released in 2020 on Compiled Ammunition. Not sure why the refresh, it’s already not a good track in my opinion.
At the end of the day, Paganizer is a great band with a solid history and Rogga is death metal royalty. I enjoyed this for what it is, and there are some killer tracks on here, (Devoured, Only Maggots, Put on your Gasmask) but unfortunately it didn’t strike me as more than a rushed slab of leftovers that came out way too soon.
(3 / 5)
