Ribspreader - The Van Murders

Ribspreader
The Van Murders
2011 Vic Records
If the opening riff of the first track of this album, "The Beginning of Their End," doesn't get your head banging and neck snapping, then you're just not into death metal. The ever-prolific riff-master Rogga Johansson is back yet again, this time with songs that form the tale of two charming fellows, The Cleaner and Mr. Filth. These two delightful characters travel around the country in their van, picking up women... and then take their time carving them up on the putrid mattress in their vehicle that always seems to have a strange, unfamiliar odor emanating from it. Our two heroes have all kinds of nasty adventures, and end up with the hilarious problem of what to do with all the bodies when they're done. As is the case with virtually all of Rogga's different projects, Ribspreader of course is chock full of the old Swedish vibe from the early 1990s. "The Van Murders" is yet another testament to the fact that while the glory days were twenty years ago, the style and sound from that time are still full of vitality and can easily get the blood pumping and the body thrashing, regardless of whether the band in question is from that era or from the new breed keeping it alive.