Review LEPER COLONY “Those of the Morbid”

Leper Colony, this band name stands for a Swedish-/German metal collaboration as Marc Grewe and guitarist Rogga Johansson joined forces. The two guys released a self-titled debut album in 2023, and it wasn’t a one-off, as the new album ‘Those of the Morbid’ is waiting in the starting blocks.

Grewe and Johansson are the driving forces of Leper Colony, while the line-up also includes Jon Rudin and Håkan Stuvemark, who both joined in 2024. The four-piece powerhouse have recorded nine new songs and follow up on what they started with their debut.

Leper Colony play oldschool death metal with roots in Europe and what they put on the album are monstrous death metal blasts. From the brutal ‘Facing the Faceless’ to the merciless ‘A Story in Red’, the album has everything extreme metal fans could ask for. Ferocious riffs, a hard-hitting rhythm section and Grewe’s barking vocals are what the nine chapters of “Those for the Morbid” have to offer. Combined with some melodic guitar solos, like in the opener, every track on this record has the potential for severe neck problems due to massive headbanging.

No matter where you put the needle on this album, it is aggressive old school death metal that slams out of the speakers. Equipped with cleverly placed breaks, like on “The Age of Insanity,” the four guys add some twists to the song and album, allowing for a great flow. However, despite the addition of some breaks and twists, the album is far from being a very layered release. It’s all about meat cleaver riffs and raging rhythms from start to finish. That’s what made the debut a critically acclaimed album and that’s what drives the songs on the new effort.

“Those of the Morbid” is a merciless and straightforward death metal album. Connected to the roots of Swedish death metal, this longplayer takes its inspiration from Tampa, Florida to Stockholm, Sweden. The album may not win an award for being the most innovative release of 2025. Instead, we are in for a brutal metal album made for beer-soaked slam pits.