PAGANIZER, Carve: Stillborn Revelations and Revel in Filth  (Vic, 2012)

The skull:
Another Photoshop clutter of a skull embedded in all kinds of weird amorphous junk. This skull — a jolly happy one! — sits high amid weird black twisted tentacles or gooey strands of black licorice, while the red stuff around him looks like innards/guts/flesh. The floating eyeball is very Travis Smith-ish, and there is no reasonable explanation for the two human figures flanking this silly random mess. But just look at the boyish grin on that skull. He’s stoked!

The music:
Cruel, raw, brutal Swedish death metal with a mournful edge thanks to some somber melodies and slower tempos. There’s absolutely nothing here that could be considered essential, but like a lot of third-tier brutal SDM, this works well enough as supplement to the better bands of this ilk. This music was originally recorded under the band name Carve in ’02 and ’04 when two dudes from the long-running and prolific Paganizer were on hiatus from that band. And it pretty much sounds just like Paganizer. 20 songs, 76 minutes, blows by without much to remember it by, but if you like this style (I do) it works on some level. Well crafted? For sure. Pointless? Maybe. Totally lacking in variety? Absolutely!
— Friar Wagner