Johansson & Speckmann: Mask Of The Treacherous

Death metal workaholics give each other a good going-over

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After being left in the dark for two decades, Master’s Paul Speckmann has been enjoying a renewed recognition of late, at least from his peers.

So you can’t really blame him for trying to make up for lost time and jumping on any offer, be it a guest spot, some reissue or a project like this one.

With this being his fourth release of this year already, Rogga Johansson from Paganizer isn’t the kind of guy to waste time either, especially with an album that was patched together from three different sessions in three different countries. Yet, as unambitious as Mask Of The Treacherous may seem, its urgency jumps right at you. Even if he never strays too much from his instantly recognisable, Swedish riffing style, Rogga has, for once, done his best to add a straight-forward and almost punkish vibe to those songs for his partner-in-crime of the day, quite efficiently emulating the On The Seventh Day-era Master, even if Paul’s barking vocal style remains an acquired taste.