Tag Archives: håkan stuvemark

Album Review – Leper Colony / Those of the Morbid (2025)

Posted on by
Reply

The unstoppable Marc Grewe and Rogga Johansson are back with their infuriated sophomore album, once again bringing forth a ruthless, violent fusion of German and Swedish Death Metal styles with classic American influences.

The ruthless, violent result of wedding German and Swedish Death Metal styles with classic American influences, Death/Thrash Metal entity Leper Colony is back with  Those of the Morbid, the follow-up to their 2023 self-titled album, blasting our faces once again with their harsh, no shenanigans blend of extreme music. Recorded by Rogga Johansson at The Rotpit, with vocals and moth harp recorded by Marc Wüstenhagen at Daily Hero Recording Studios, mixed and mastered by Håkan Stuvemark at Necrotic Audio Productions, and featuring a classic Death Metal artwork by Felipe Mora, the new album by the infernal duo formed of Marc Grewe (Morgoth, Insidious Disease, Asinhell) on vocals and Rogga Johansson (Paganizer, Ribspreader, Revolting) on guitars and bass, supported by Håkan Stuvemark (Wombbath) on lead guitars, and Jon Rudin (Monstrous, Dead Sun) on drums is perfect for fans of Obituary, Death, Pestilence and Insidious Disease, delivering a pure, unfiltered fusion of Death and Thrash Metal with no fillers, just killers.

Håkan  and Rogga waste no time and kick off their shredding attack in Facing the Faceless, with Marc quickly joining his bandmates with his demented screams, followed by Masters Voice, a pulverizing fusion of Death and Thrash Metal led by the crushing beats by Jon, being perfect for some demented action inside the pit. Their hammering sounds continue to pound our cranial skulls in The Age of Insanity, with the band’s guitar duo extracting sheer aggression from their axes, and it’s time for a brutal, demented metal attack by Leper Colony titled Flesh to Rot to Ashes, with Jon demolishing his drums manically. and it looks like their thrashing Death Metal party has no time to end, as Realm of Madness once again presents the trademark scorching riffs by Rogga burning our skin mercilessly.

Then the metallic riffs and bass lines by Rogga set the tone in the also infuriated Those of the Morbid Inclination, offering more of the band’s blend of Death and Thrash Metal while Marc vociferates like a devilish creature; whereas it’s pedal to the metal in the frantic Apocalypse Whore, with Håkan kicking off the song with a wicked guitar solo before everything converges into a hurricane of thrashing and deadly sounds. Then featuring guest Oliver Recker armed with his mouth harp, Leper Colony crafts an overdose of heaviness in the gruesome, evil Creature from the Deep, an excellent depiction of their core sound. Lastly, after endless devastation the band offers the horror movie-inspired track A Story in Red, sounding dark and heavy albeit lacking the same punch as the rest of the album.

Rogga Johansson is undoubtedly one of the most hardworking musicians to ever arise from the Swedish metal scene, making it impossible to keep track of all of his bands and projects, but if there’s one band that deserves a listen from all of his endeavors, that’s Leper Colony. His partnership with Marc Grewe is amazing, and that synergy translates into an overdose of aggression and rage in the music by Leper Colony. Those unstoppable metallers are waiting for you on Facebook and on Instagram, they’re ready to kick your ass with their putrid sounds on Spotify, and you can obviously purchase Those of the Morbid from the band’s own BandCamp, from the Testimony Records’ webstore, or by clicking HERE, showing your support and admiration to the underground as a whole. Because it doesn’t matter if it’s with Leper Colony, Paganizer, Ribspreader or any other of his projects, Rogga Johansson is going to get you, no matter how far, nor how morbid.

Best moments of the album: Flesh to Rot to Ashes, Those of the Morbid Inclination and Apocalypse Whore.

Worst moments of the album: A Story in Red.

Released in 2025 Testimony Records

Track listing
1. Facing the Faceless 3:21
2. Masters Voice 3:40
3. The Age of Insanity 3:35
4. Flesh to Rot to Ashes 3:10
5. Realm of Madness 3:23
6. Those of the Morbid Inclination 3:49
7. Apocalypse Whore 3:31
8. Creature from the Deep 3:40
9. A Story in Red 4:14

Band members
Marc Grewe – vocals
Håkan Stuvemark – lead guitars
Rogga Johansson – guitars, bass
Jon Rudin – drums

Guest musician
Oliver Recker – mouth harp on “Creature from the Deep”

Album Review – Just Before Dawn / The Dead And Those About To Die EP (2016)

Posted on by
1

Put on your military gear, give no quarter and bang your head to the excellent Death Metal crafted by these belligerent men-at-arms.

Rating5

CR-043CD_ARTWORKI must warn you that the first review of 2016 will be as devastating as a blitzkrieg, leaving you completely disoriented after this 27-minute bloodthirsty onslaught is over. I’m talking about The Dead And Those About To Die, the brand new EP by Swedish Death Metal infantrymen Just Before Dawn, who above all things are here to lead us all into the battleground with their refined and belligerent metal music.

Formed in 2012 and having already released the full-length albums Précis Innan Gryningen (Swedish for “Just Before Dawn”) in 2013 and The Aftermath in 2014, Just Before Dawn are back with a more solid lineup, also including some guest troopers armed with their screams and guitars (including Swedish musician Benny Moberg, who was also responsible for the artwork). As a matter of fact, the EP was already “released” in 2015 as a cassette under the Till You Fukkin Bleed label, but the official release as a CD by Chaos Records and by the band itself on BandCamp  (also in digital format) is set to January 2016, which means now it’s the right time to get to war.

And let me tell you that the warfare bred by Just Before Dawn will be brutal based on the opening track, the old school Counterbattery, where heaviness is taken to a higher level thanks to the carnivore growls by Jonny Pettersson, the demonic riffs by Jonny and the band’s mastermind Anders Biazzi, and the imposing beats by drummer Brynjar Helgetun. Next, the voice in the background only adds more wickedness to Otnumbered, slightly faster than the previous song but as heavy as hell, with Jonny getting insanely aggressive on vocals while the song’s riffs drag the listener to the battlefield.

Inlaysheet.epsThe following tune, Graves Without Crosses, presents hints of Doom Metal, which end up making the atmosphere a lot denser in its 7 minutes of obscurity, therefore sounding like a deadlier version of Blackened Doom. Besides, how not to get excited with its warlike lyrics (“A war is fought by man / At the gates of every battle / He stands strong / Stand his ground and face his enemy face on / Defeat is not an option / Surrender, he will never do”)?

Anyway, it’s time to accelerate the rhythm and consequently add more fuel (and blood) to the battle with Into The Iron Mist, an amazing composition showcasing how metallic this army can be. Simply put, it’s top-notch Death Metal, with highlights to the impactful combination of its hawkish growls and headbanging riffs. And the last tune, beautifully entitled Through A Rain Of Fire, keeps up with the offensive ambience generated by the rest of the EP, breaking your neck mercilessly. Bombs explode into pure Death Metal in this hellish chant, not to mention its chorus which, albeit being excellent already, gets even more electrifying due to the song’s pounding drums.

You can find more about Just Before Dawn and their music at their Facebook page, and order your copy of The Dead And Those About To Die at the Chaos Records’ official BandCamp page or webshop. What are you waiting for? Put on your military gear, give no quarter and bang your head to the excellent Death Metal by these unstoppable men-at-arms from Sweden.

Best moments of the album: Into The Iron Mist.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2016 Chaos Records

Track listing
1. Counterbattery 5:30
2. Otnumbered 5:17
3. Graves Without Crosses 7:03
4. Into The Iron Mist 4:38
5. Through A Rain Of Fire 5:12

Band members
Jonny Pettersson – vocals, guitars
Anders Biazzi – guitars, bass
Brynjar Helgetun – drums

Guest musicians
Rogga Johansson – vocals
Håkan Stuvemark – lead guitars
Vesa Kenttäkumpu – lead guitars
Marko Palmér – lead guitars
Benny Moberg – lead guitars, artwork