CARBONIZED - FOR THE SECURITY (1991) (+Bonus!)

Originally suggested to me by IC Bro Asa, Carbonized were (kind of) an earlier, grindier incarnation of epic-classical-metallers Therion, although you would never guess it based on the sound of their first couple albums. For The Security, Carbonized's first full-length, finds the band at the magical crossroads of heads-down, Napalm Death Scum-grind and early Swedish death metal, displaying the better parts of both and the trappings of neither. Yes, there is much punk rock energy to be found herein, a sense of urgency and nihilism that occasionally borders on complete chaos. But the riffs are also tasty, well-executed, and occasionally even a little technical--shit, the bass playing alone betrays the intrinsic talent this band had in abundance. Repeat listens peel away further layers of distortion and filth, and before long you might even pick up on a couple weird prog elements here and there ("Euthanasia" and "Third Eye" being prime examples).

While Carbonized circa '92-and-earlier might seem like an IllCon wet dream (it is), their later work (primarily 1993's Disharmonization and 1996's Screaming Machines) is a whole other story unto itself, as their transformation into purveyors of progressive post-rock dissonance was significantly harder to swallow than the delicious grind we are here to celebrate today. And even though all of the "main" guys in Carbonized went on to play in Therion, calling them the "same" band isn't quite fair, either. In all actuality, the Carbonized/Therion family tree involves just about the entire Swedish metal scene from 1985-present, with direct ties to bands like Excruciate, Messiah, Entombed, Dismember, General Surgery, and Dark Funeral--not to mention frontman Christofer Johnsson's stint with perennial IC favorites Liers In Wait... Which means further connections to other awesome bands like Oxiplegatz and At The Gates (kinda makes you wonder how he ended up involved with some bullshit like THIS, right?). But, as usual, I digress.
This whole spiderweb of elaborate backstory does nothing to change the facts: 1) Carbonized, in their heyday, were completely unfuckwithable. 2) For The Security is a balls-kickingly good heavy metal album, charting some important middle ground between late-80's grind and early-90's DM. 3) Sweden always wins at metal. ALWAYS.

Download HERE


BONUS CUTS!

NO CANONIZATION EP (1990)


More of the same, except released a year earlier with a different lineup and way cooler cover art.

Download HERE

(Extra credit death metal faux pas #666: refer to this album as No Carbonation in mixed Hessian company. Reap Lulz.)

Metallum/Last.FM