Leper Colony – Those of the Morbid

No better way to end this short-lasting Scandinavian summer than with a blast of old-school death metal!? Legitimately, a sophomore album from the German/Swedish quartet Leper Colony got released before the summer.

For those of you unfamiliar with this band I’ll make a short introduction to the foursome that is the result of wedding German and Swedish death metal styles with some classic American influences. The guys behind this project are some prominent gentlemen from the death metal scene. Thus, Leper Colony consists of Marc Grewe (vocals), Rogga Johansson (guitars & bass), Håkan Stuvemark (guitars) and Jon Rudin (drums) – where the later two joined the band after the release of their self-titled debut in 2023.

With renewed line-up and some fresh ideas, Those of the Morbid is their sophomore effort containing nine massive old-school death metal tracks. Those of the Morbid is their first for Testimony Records, and I was exited to find out what Rogga & Co. have been up to now.

Tracklist:

1. Facing The Faceless

2. Masters Voice

3. The Age of Insanity

4. Flesh to Rot to Ashes

5. Realm of Madness

6. Those of The Morbid Inclination

7. Apocalypse Whore

8. Creature From the Deep

9. A Story in Red

The first notable thing is that the overall songwriting is engaging, where one can notice some Slayer and Bolt Thrower vibes mixed with the sound they were performed with other death metal acts. Lyrics are horror-themed, but unfortunately appears too simplified and juvenile at some moments. Vocals are mixed with some screaming shouting and shrieking, while harmonized leads and buzzsaw guitars are very much present in their sound. When paired with some hellish drum beats and double kicks of some flourishing bass fills, Those of the Morbid appears like a coherent and inspiring death metal album.

Some of the stand-out tracks from the album include the opening “Facing The Faceless”, then the crushingly heavy “Those of The Morbid Inclination” and finally the album closer called “A Story in Red.” It ends the album on a confident note with some melodic guitar riffs and the final screams that will stick to you mind for a long time. Lastly, I dig the cover art for Those of the Morbid, the work of Felipe Mora. It’s his cover that drew my attention to this record in the first place.

With the release of the nine-tracker Those of the Morbid, Leper Colony give old school death metal fanatics the very brutal and uncompromising album that they have been waiting for! For additional information on this particular album visit their bandcamp.