The nine tracks infuse thrashy guitar riffs which take a dynamic mid-tempo direction hitting the full mark with the heavily charged drums. From the opening track “The Human Paradox” Marc Grewe‘s crude vocals and the cutthroat riffs of Rogga Johansson gear into action. The riffs range from heavy groovy death metal with some brutal chugging to fast-paced tempos. The drumming on the album is solid and provides excellent fills, Jon Säkre’s top-notch work matches the aggressive crossing between the gruff vocals and the blistering riffs.

Meanwhile, the driving lead guitars on the following track “Perdition’s End” immediately launch the old-school thrash metal characteristics of bands like Slayer, the track contains some energetic counterblow riffs as the trio tackles brutality. Many of these riffs bear similarities to Inhuman Condition, but Leper Colony managed to write some powerful and gritty songs such as “The Surgical Undeadvors” which focuses on heavy brutal riffing. Listening to the debut album is like being excessively dosed on hyperactive stimulants, over the course of 34 minutes Leper Colony evokes rapid and even maniacal aggression of thrash metal.

“Tar and Feathers” can be described as a violent mixture of fast grooves and furious pummeling. I really like the gruff vocals of Marc Grewe on the album, although they sound very different from the growling style in his early days with Morgoth. Another highlight of the album is that Rogga Johansson’s riffs are very powerful, despite the work on his solo projects this is perhaps his most proficient work. The galloping thrash metal fest continues to tumble hard on tracks like “Rapture Addict”, the drumming patterns and the double bass are generally fast and organic. The production is excellent, it’s quite interesting how each track has a solid riff structure and the tempos are mainly fast. There are plenty of breakneck speeds played loud with abrasive raw guitars driving the songs.

There is enough diversity and variation in terms of songwriting where Rogga Johansson exploits his expertise as well as working with Marc Grewe resulting in an incredible performance. The album’s title track “Leper Colony’ manages to sound different from the previous songs, it begins with melodic catchy chords and presents an atmospheric and infectious guitar melody, and the trio strike unexpectedly to bring some refreshing dynamics in a slow and infectious tempo. “A Flow So Greatly Macabre” refuels the intensity offering a kind of rumbling sound. The riffing and the heavy drums create a massive wall of sound, the heavy impulses of the drums sound like thundering hooves, and the guitars unleashing sharp solos.

“Flesh Crawl Demise” is a high-octane track, this time the roaring growls are accompanied by a sporadic explosion of blast beats, this fast-paced track sets a boisterous exercise in brutal death metal and is packed full of vicious riffs. Leper Colony maintains the violent pace throughout the album, though it feels like the trio has channeled the frenzy and violent riffing of Slayer. The final track “Gruesome End” is even harsher and aggressively relentless in the way the drums pummel like a crushing machine. Everything seems to flow perfectly together especially since the intertwining guitar solos at the beginning of the track are damned crucial. Fierce guitar riffs laden with hate and pummeling drums are just brutal. Leper Colony isn’t just a mere band that decided to play some retro death metal to entertain the fans, this is some serious ass-kicking death squad highlighted by the virtuoso of these veterans.

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