Another trip down scorched road towards the spires of doom. The world is ready to be chopped off, a sense of chaos looms the air as the first cut takes its course. Gushing blood smeared upon the world's face and then, limb after limb, it crumbles to its blood soaked death. Seriously, I just shivered in my seat; I couldn't believe that I actually wrote that. Some would fine a strange sense of sensation out of this erotic masquerade. But really, this something that is tough to bear, and normally to think about. But in order to enhance the experience, here you have one of the notorious, in a good way, Rogga Johansson's creations, with his long time band, PAGANIZER. For those who don't know, Johansson is one of Death Metal's busiest artists with plenty of releases and bands under his belt, one of the Swedish scene's toughest bastards. PAGANIZER has been infesting on a raw merging of Swedish Death Metal along with various elements of Thrash, but mainly their focus is to extreme things up. PAGANIZER is as reachable as DISMEMBER, early HYPOCRISY and ENTOMBED  and GRAVE along with other non-Swedish artists like ASPHYX, AUTOPSY, CARCASS, early BOLT THROWER, INCANTATION and JUNGLE ROT. "World Lobotomy", via Cyclone Empire is a result of a psychotic mind, a rapture of demise, in order to shock and disgust. Fancied a lust dance of Death? You shall have it, get ready to puke some gore and brain tissue.

As on other of Johansson's projects and involvements like HUMAN DELETE, RIBSPREADER, PUTREVORE and BLOODGUT, the likes of "World Lobotomy" didn't picture PAGAZINER any differently music and sound wise, other than the band's name that isn't as grotesque as the others. This album, as the previous others, is a maniacal fest of gruesomeness, sharing allegiance to the early 90s of Death Metal, particularly the quadrant of Scandinavia and The Netherlands, where European Death Metal flourished in that exceptional golden age. "World Lobotomy" explores that traditional Death Metal boundaries with fast paced riffing along with chugged palm muted strokes of mayhem, vulgar bass twitches, a bombardment of double bass drum assaults and guttural vocals (yet quite understandable thanks to Johansson's vocal mastery). As you will probably notice, PAGAZINER is not different than any other band of the same characteristics. Like most bands of the kind, Johansson and crew are highly talented and experienced, providing a showcase of fine technical skills on producing such madness. "Hunt Eat Repeat", shedding the skin with a bit of a MOTORHEADish facet, probably the only track with an actual chorus. More or less it stampeded on the same type of riff, other than the chorus, not too much craftiness, but it was adequate. "The Drowners" tormented with its great main riff that for a moment there sounded like a rip-off of CARCASS's old specimen, "Corporal Jigsaw's Quandary". Although it sounded identical, this song blasted with other squelchy rhythm guitars, especially the palm muted picking sections letting off steam, like crushing something in your hand, and violence can be eluding and the feeling of desolation with it. "Sky On Fire" and "World Lobotomy" are to be expected, brutish figures in the dark, on the ready for the attack, scratching and biting. The latter even produced a short solo that was worth it. For one thing, through these songs it seems that PAGAZINER has been preserving the murderous attitude of their local scene with excellence; no one can steal that away from them.

With my shared appreciation to this album's callousness and respect for the old scene, it was hard to deny the fact that "World Lobotomy" is rather more monotonous in comparison to its better qualities as a Death Metal release. Generally, there are repeating elements within the songs, boring arrangements aside to way much pandemonium that is hard to conceive. Old school Death Metal might be the truest thing in extreme music, but it has to have additional moments of fury and suspense other than a few portions on the crust. PAGAZINER had a few good ideas on "Mass of Parasites" and "You Call It Deviance" for instance, but regretfully didn't capitalize upon them to continue producing something better. "As the Maggots Gather" and the so unworthy "Ödeläggaren", should have been out of this release, plainly fillers with no purpose. To sum this up, this is a worthy album for your ears and not just for the tribute of the old Swedish scene, but for yourself as Death Metal fans. However, I would expect such a veteran band to a bit just a glimpse more creative.