Year: 2026
Label: Xtreem Music
Rogga Johansson is a name you will come across at some point if you’re into death metal. The list of bands he is and has been involved with is extensive, but at least not upon closer inspection necessarily particularly impressive. Oftentimes, he truly is a man of quantity, not quality. Instead of honing his projects and songs to perfection, he gives the impression of focusing on churning out a lot of stuff.
Paganizer is one of his longest running projects, being just a few years shy of 30. I suppose it could be called Johansson’s home turf, being probably his oldest and most consistently active project, having released an album every other year or so pretty much. So, what can one expect from album number fourteen?
To be honest, at least my own expectations were: not much. I was fully expecting another album of competent but uninspired, run-of-the-mill death metal lacking that finishing polish. Colour me surprised, because As Mankind Rots is in fact quite a lot better than that!
Essentially, true to Johansson’s style, there’s nothing forward thinking or innovative about this album. As Mankind Rots is a prime example of Swedish death metal, from that brittle guitar tone to the melodies, and the influences from both hardcore punk and thrash metal. But, unexpectedly, this feels like a far more finished, nurtured and complete package than a lot of his other releases.
This album feels like it’s been given the time and attention it needed to be complete. Which is strange, considering its predecessor came out in 2024, and between 2024 and 2026 Johansson has released at least 19 other albums. As has become clear by now, As Mankind Rots is good in a highly unlikely fashion.
What makes it good, or at least very, very decent, then? I can’t say, really. There’s just that elusive something which elevates As Mankind Rots from generic decent to worthwhile. In part it’s helped by the sounds, which pack a nice punch, but ultimately, the riffs just have that edge to them, the songs just work and Johansson’s puts on a pleasantly fierce performance in the vocal department. For once, this feels like more than a routine performance.
There’s even a few standout tracks here. Put On Your Gasmask with its old school crust punk plod. Aftermath Bleeder with its nice intro riff and rolling beat was a sensible choice as teaser track.
But, as said, there’s nothing particularly original or innovative here. Paganizer are still essentially dutifully following in the footsteps of swedeath pioneers, creating death metal that’s all been done and heard before. In that sense, it would be a bit disingenuous to praise As Mankind Rots too highly: there’s no particularly strong own imprint to be found here.
Still, As Mankind Rots makes up for lack of originality or individual character with its vivaciousness. That spark of enthusiasm manages to compensate to a large degree. The result is that this just might be the best, or at the very least one of the best things Rogga Johansson has put out during his incredibly prolific career.
Only Death Is Real 