When Morgoth ceased to exist following the shitty Feel Sorry for the Fanatic there was a hole left in the Death Metal community. They did reunite, albeit without vocalist Marc Grewe for the pretty good Ungod, but it wasn’t the same.

It’s ok though because Leper Colony was formed to fill that sizeable void. As fate would have it Rogga Johansson (ex- too many fucking bands to list; literally the list of bands he’s been involved with is massive) and Marc Grewe are buddies and that’s the TL/DR version.

They released the Self-titled album in 2023, and now we’re sitting squarely in the middle of 2025, and Those of the Morbid is the 2×4 that is a welcome smash to the face. It’s a meat-and-potatoes Death Metal album that throws nine lethal tracks with morbid glee.

“Facing the Faceless” strikes hard, Rogga’s buzzsaw guitar tone slices with such killer, old-school style riffing that makes me feel like it’s the 90s and I’m cranking Like an Everflowing Stream. It’s ridiculous how people can just come up with killer riffs out of fucking nowhere and Those of the Morbid is a perfect example of that inhuman ability.

Marc leaned on some heavy Morgoth vibes for this one. “Master’s Voice” features some killer blasting, and I might dare say there’s a bit more blasting this time around than on their first effort. Be that as it may, that track and “The Age of Insanity” are fucking raging, Death Thrash interspersed with furious blasting and some more grotesqueries played out with diabolical dexterity.

The artwork is fucking gory and fits the music on offer in the tin. So, of course, the production matches all of it, too, right? Fuck yeah! It’s suitably raw compared to the semi-polished sound of the debut.

“Flesh to Rot to Ashes”  is one of my favorite tracks; it’s just straight bludgeoning riff after bludgeoning riff. That’s not to say they don’t groove at times, when they do, it’s done with that OSDM menacing groove. “Those of the Morbid Inclination” is an example of this sort of crawling and sulking approach, giving off some Dismember vibes once again, and there’s a bit of a Grave feeling to the midsection as it slams forth. A super sick solo courtesy of Håkan Stuvemark pieces this festering corpse together.

A shredding intro and “Apocalypse Whore” takes off with soaring guitars. One minute it’s breakneck speed, the next it’s slow and pummeling, especially at the 2:12 mark, where it’s like a slow-burning, hack-and-slash job.

The almost required Cthulhu hymn “Creature from the Deep” features this dude, Oliver Recker playing a fucking mouth-harp for added oceanic menace, it’s suitably plodding and monstrous. Surrounded by these agile sea serpentine riffs it’s followed by “A Story in Red” not quite as good as  “Dreaming in Red” from Indecent and Obscene, by Dismember but whatever, this is by far my favorite song on Those of the Morbid, it just hits me in the goodies if that makes sense… Probably not.

Leper Colony has advanced since their debut, with a production that is conducive to crushing heaviness; they manage to keep that OSDM spirit going forward even into these tumultuous times. Therefore, it is only fitting that I recommend this beast, and for you rotting corpses that love Morgoth, Ribspreader, Dismember, and Paganizer. Fucking ripping death!

[Visit the band's website]

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