UMUR Slakthus Gamleby is the 3rd full-length studio album by Swedish death metal act Demiurg. The album was released in July 2010 by Cyclone Empire Records. Main man behind the project, vocalist/ guitarist Rogga Johansson, has yet again enlisted Dan Swanö to contribute. This time with lead guitars and keyboards. Johan Berglund, who has also worked with Rogga Johansson in Ribspreader and The Grotesquery, plays the bass on Slakthus Gamleby and no other than the omnipresent Ed Warby ( Gorefest, Ayreon, Hail of Bullets, Star One...etc.) plays the drums and sings occassional clean male vocals. We´re also treated to occassional female vocals by Marjan Welman.

The music on the album is old school Swedish death metal with a progressive edge. It´s especially Dan Swanö´s contributions on keyboards that gives the music a progressive edge and a reference to Edge of Sanity is undeniable. The clean male and female vocals on the album also adds a progressive edge to an otherwise old school death metal sound. So while there are some progressive ideas incorporated on the album, death metal purists shouldn´t worry too much. If you know the two preceeding albums by Demiurg or maybe some of Rogga Johansson´s other projects like Paganizer, Ribspreader and The Grotesquery, you´ll still know pretty much what to expect. Rogga Johansson is a death metal traditionalist so the music on Slakthus Gamleby is still predominantly filled with deep growling vocals, brutal fat and crunchy riffing and mostly mid-paced rythms. You won´t find any breakneck technical soloing or odd time signatures on this album. Just well composed, memorable and powerful old school Swedish death metal packed in a great production.

The musicianship is excellent. It´s always a joy to listen to skilled musicians play. Rogga Johansson´s growls are a bit monotone and undecipherable, but they are not too bad. The clean vocals on the other hand are a great asset to the album. Marjan Welman has a pleasant vocal style and to my surprise Ed Warby is actually a really great singer. Just take a listen to his performance in the beginning of Travellers Of The Vortex. He´s got a really great bleak Layne Staley ( Alice in Chains) imitation going on there.

Slakthus Gamleby is a positive step forward for Demiurg compared to their first two albums. I really enjoy the added progressive edge on the album, which makes the songs stand out a bit more than they did on the preceeding albums. The variation on the album was a much needed new feature to take the band´s music to the next level. A 4 star rating is deserved.

J-Man Welcome to the Slaughterhouse

With an album title that translates over to "Gamleby (the band's hometown) Slaughterhouse" and all-star cast consisting of prolific death metal musicians like Dan Swanö, Rogga Johansson, and Ed Warby, Slakthus Gamleby is bound to be a winner. It's pretty safe to say that this assumption is correct, considering the sheer level of death metal intensity on Demiurg's third effort. There are a lot of Swedish death metal supergroups, but I don't hesitate in putting Demiurg up there with the best. Expect brutal riffing, atmospheric keyboards, and even some melodic sections on this album. Slakthus Gamleby isn't the most innovative death metal album you'll ever here, but the compositions and musicianship are so spectacular that it's easy to excuse something like that. If you're a fan of the musicians involved, I can't recommend this album enough. Don't miss out on this slaughterhouse from Gamleby!

The music here is death metal with a heavy emphasis on melody and progressiveness, even though this is far from melodic death metal. In that respect, I'm often reminded of Dan Swanö's own Edge of Sanity. There are a lot of keyboards here that give the album a Crimson II-ish vibe (which isn't surprising considering two members from Demiurg participated on that album). Despite the use of keyboards and melody, this album is still quite brutal at times. Expect lots of fast riffing accompanied by deep guttural growls courtesy of Rogga Johansson. On the vocal part of the equation, you can also expect some female vocals from Marjan Wellman (from gothic metal band Autumn). Although this may turn off the death metal purists, it adds some nice variation for people like me. Instrumentally, the musicianship is obviously fantastic. The drumming from Ed Warby (Hail of Bullets, Ayreon, Star One, Gorefest) is especially noteworthy. His style fits the music perfectly. The keyboards from Dan Swanö add just the right amount of atmosphere, not to forget about his terrific guitar leads. Johan Berglund's bass playing is great as well - it really fits the music like a glove. Picking a standout track is pretty difficult, especially considering how great each song is. With a running time just under 40 minutes, there isn't much room for fluff. Slakthus Gamleby is all killer, no filler. How many death metal albums can you really say that about?

The production is wonderful. It's no secret that Dan Swanö is a great producer, and this is further proof of that. His own Unisound Studios has some of the best mixing and mastering in all of Scandinavia.

Conclusion:

Slakthus Gamleby is a terrific album by Demiurg. Although the obviously modern Swedish style may turn off raw old school death metal fans, it is essential for anybody who likes bands like Edge of Sanity and Grave. I'll go with a big 4 (almost 4.5) star rating on this one - Slakthus Gamleby really took me by surprise! If you're a fan of the musicians involved, it'd be a crime not to check out this CD. Highly recommended!

UMUR The Hate Chamber is the 2nd full-length studio album by Swedish death metal act Demiurg. The album was released in April 2008 through Mascot Records. The three main players from the debut album Breath of the Demiurg (2007), Rogga Johansson ( vocals, guitars), Dan Swanö ( Lead guitars, keyboards) and Johan Berglund ( Bass) are all present again on The Hate Chamber. Dutch drummer Ed Warby ( Gorefest, Hail of Bullets...etc.) have entered the lineup and therefore Dan Swanö, who played the drums on the debut album, have shifted to lead guitars. Pär Johansson provides the clean sung vocals on the album.

The music on the album continues the old school Swedish death metal style of the predecessor. Compared to the debut album, the style is a bit more brutal and less melodic, but it´s only a minor change. All songs are crushingly heavy and brutal death metal tracks and as on the debut bands like Grave and especially early Edge of Sanity are valid references. While I wouldn´t exactly call the album a revelation or especially adventurous ( except for the closing track Cult of Dagon which is slightly progressive), it´s highly consistent and if you enjoy the old School Swedish death metal style this is a pretty high quality release in the genre. The musicianship is good and with a production that suits the music really well there are several factors that help make this album an above standard release. A 3 - 3.5 star rating is deserved.

UMUR Breath of the Demiurg is the debut full-length studio album by Swedish death metal act Demiurg. The album was released in February 2007 by Mascot Records. Demiurg is another one of Swedish metal musician Rogga Johansson´s many projects. As if it wasn´t enough that he, on a regular basis, releases albums with both Paganizer and Ribspreader, he now also operates Demiurg ( and a lot of other projects). Without a doubt one of the most prolific, busy and hard working Swedish musicians at the moment. Rogga Johansson plays all guitars and provides growls on the album. Johan Berglund plays the bass and none other than Dan Swanö plays drums and keyboards. The album was produced by Dan Swanö at Unisound.

When you see the name Rogga Johansson on an album sleeve you´re almost always sure what you´ll hear when putting on the album. The music on Breath of the Demiurg is in that regard no surprise. We´re presented with high quality old school Swedish death metal. Just like our mama made it. Fat crunchy brutal riffs, mid- to fast paced tempo ( not really fast) and some great brutal yet slightly decipherable growling vocals. So far so good. The thing that makes Breath of the Demiurg stand out is the sense for melody and the occasional atmospheric and epic sounding keyboard section. Never think this is melodeath though. It´s probably as far from that genre as you can get. This is authentic and brutal and the melodies are not too obvious. The closest I can come to a comparison would be a mix of the brutality of Grave and more melodic inclined early Edge of Sanity. I´m well entertained throughout the 40 minute long album, and while the album seldom reaches excellence, it´s highly consistent.

The production is typical for old school Swedish death metal with the trademark fat and crunchy guitar sound.

Breath of the Demiurg might not be a revelation in its genre, but it´s a great album in its own respect and a 3 - 3.5 star rating is well deserved.