For the Security

Extreme music in its guitar-centered formats has proliferated on pandemic levels since the time of the original release of Carbonized’s awesome 1991 banger “For The Security.” Massive advancements have been made in music production and production affordability while monetary rewards have increased, the quality of liquor and drugs has improved, as have the chances of finding your uncle (the one who wears Hawaiian shirts and his sunglasses backwards) at the local show.

Carbonized is best known for having ties to both Entombed and Therion, but should be viewed on their own merits as a small but vital part of early Swedish extremity. The band found its beginnings in primeval grind and ended its travels with a unique take on surrealist hard rock. In other words, this unit was pretty creative, and took the time to hone their craft. Here, on their first of three full lengths, “Security,” Carbonized is more conventional (in a loose sense of the word), but also teetering on the edge of significant discoveries. The album was in desperate need of a re-release (as is the rest of the material prior and after) and it is my hope that some money ends up where it should. Artists need bread. But fans also need their fuel. All the OG’s have their tapes, LPs, CDs and bootlegs from the period. In comparison, for us pink-lungs, the desire for a physical copy causes us to shell out whole paychecks for a first press (or more likely, ONLY press). Reissues are an ideal win-win-win for artists, labels and fans.

That all aside, “Security,” remains a horror, further twisted and disfigured by age. Spearheaded by the heavyfooted d-beats and exhausting singlefooted blasts of Piotr Wawrzeniuk, one will take note of how limp and unconvincing many modern drum setups sound in comparison. Seriously, no manner of brickwalling, triggering or canned-ham can even come close to this. Album opener ‘Recarbonized’ demonstrates (in a rather merciless manner) what sort of punishment will continue during the duration. Heavy, crusty growling and screeching only increase the manic atmosphere. ‘Hypnotic Aim’ is of the pure unhallowed grind madness that inspired a generation: bursting with stop-start multipaced riffage, even more schizoid vocal performances and ultra-compressed runtime. The blistering (almost blackened!) riffing of title track, as well as the hallowed Swede-buzzsaw undertow will easily peel the enamel off of the teeth and tear a poser a new appetite.

While those aforementioned tracks are carry-overs from the band’s demo era, newer compositions like ‘Purified From the Sulfur’ ‘Blinded By the Veil’ and “Third Eye” indicate the influence of layered and textural death metal along with some “alien” inclinations (coming mostly from Lars Rosenberg’s mystical bass molestations). You will take pause every time the cacophony mutates into the realms of the bizarre. The newer stuff is much more distinctive and memorable as a result, which might lead to one skipping to them. With this in mind, “Security” is perhaps the least “memorable” of the three full lengths, despite being a monster by any other measure.

This reissue from Vic Records also includes two bonus tracks, ‘Dark Curses’ and the hilariously titled ‘Necrophiliac Carnage Mass,’ which were previously seen on the band’s skull-fucking 1991 self-titled demo. Both are welcome additions, and signal the need for a retrospective package. Priced to sell of course.

Originally Published in Metalegion Magazine

Well, I was enjoying my de facto vacation caused by the site being down, but I guess we’re back, so it’s time for me to return as well. I haven’t actually listened to metal in the past week. In fact, I’ve been jamming to Ice-T’s old albums even though I’m not too into rap. My new Ice-T obsession stems from my longtime love of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, as well as the fact that I’m now reading his new book. But before my venture into Ice-T started, I was jamming out to For the Security by Sweden’s Carbonized. While Carbonized is a death metal band from Sweden, their music is incredibly unique, ending up quite different from any contemporaries of the time, and when I say that, I’m including both Stockholm bands and Gothenburg bands. This is very different, in the best way.

‘Recarbonized’ starts off with a deathy sound, but once the first verse comes in, the grind influences are very clear. Yes, this is a death/grind album. However, this is more than your archetypal death/grind album. You see, I really don’t like most grind. It mostly just bores me with it’s simple riffs of “schizophrenic” songwriting style. Whatever it is, I’m not a fan of it. But here, the style is infused very well within the confines of a rigid death metal sound.

However, the real oddity of Carbonized isn’t revealed until the third track, ‘Euthanasia,’ starts. Immediately, we now learn that this is a progressively tinged album as well? Yep, this album suddenly has odd time signatures and a menacingly groovy set of basslines that really do a wonderful job of adding a certain degree of texture to this album. Now that we can see this as a progressive death/grind album, it’s obvious why this is so unique, especially for its time (this was released in 1991). This off-kilter segments of Carbonized’s songs are really fine work, creating a very solid contrast with the grind sections, while also transitioning well into theose grind segments, sometimes even dissonantly so.

Of course, I’m incredibly happy that this doesn’t sound forced. While there is obviously a concerted effort to make things complex in many instances, it’s not as if they said, “Hey, it’s not wanky enufffff,” and then proceeded to weedly up their songs. While the schizophrenic grind element is one that I’m not fond of, it really aids the more technical sections of the songs, letting them mold into the simpler sections very easily.

Overall, what we have here is an incredibly interesting and unique take on Swedish death metal. Infused with both grind and progressive elements, this is the outcast band in Sweden’s metal scene. If anything, it took some fucking balls to make this album in a time where every other Swedeath band was trying to maintain the “true” death metal sound, and when every Gothenburg band was probably thinking, “HAI GAIZ, LET’S MAKE A FRUITY ALBUM IN A FEW YEARS.” This album spits in the face of conformity and truly attempts something new, and I have a lot of respect for that. This may not be a top 20 Swedeath album, but if you like unconventional death metal that still has a solid degree of brutality, then look no further, because this is a kickass album.

Written for http://thenumberoftheblog.com/

Almost certainly, Carbonized was the most original extreme metal band that came out from Sweden at the end of the 80s. The other groups were interested in defending the newborn, pure swedish death metal sound, while these guys didn’t care, preferring a less abused way to play extreme. Carbonized is a truly legendary act on the underground and with this first album they showed everybody how to mix two apparently far genres, musically talking: the grindcore/death and the progressive music. Many of you can be astonished, sceptical and almost frightened for this blend of so far genres, but the result of this courageous work is remarkable.

The opener is “Recarbonized” and shows heavy influences from the death metal while the tempo is quite fast. The riffage is savage and pounding, the vocals are incredibly low-pitched while the first blast beats are coming and the vocals change in a sort of scary, suffered childish tonality. The atmosphere is truly gloomy and heavy with the coldness of the grindcore/goregrind genre. Everything seems lifeless and also so brutal. I love these productions. Everything is perfect in my humble opinion but the blast beats should be improved a bit to give the right power. By the way, it’s a minor thing. “Hypnotic Aim” is just schizophrenic and on perennial speed. The vocals vary lots of times and the riffs follow different directions, from the classic death to dissonant parts, pursuing the bass notes.

Another great example of the technical level and the differences of songwriting by this band is the following “Euthanasia” where the drums follow more technical patterns and the restarts are broken by dissonant parts. The good thing is that the blast beats and the massive death/grind influences are always present among the more progressive riffs in order to create a continuing contrast. “Blinded by the Veil” has incredible breaks where the clean guitars tone create arpeggios and the bass notes are heavily influences by everything in prog music. Some parts reminded me Cynic on Focus album. “Syndrome” is a crescendo of speed with lots of dissonant riffs and the always odd atmosphere. The song, as the other ones, always incorporates the extreme elements and the more prog ones.

“Reflections of the Dark” is more mid-paced but has some furious restarts on truly catchy and violent riffs. Here the very first grind/death influences are stronger and this can be seen as a way between Terrorizer and Entombed. “Third Eye” is definitely more progressive and the beginning is just chilling for the echoing effected clean guitar sound over the blast beats. The bass here is far heavier and the distortion is fuzzy, massive and bone-jarring. Everything is just alien, cold and disturbed. In my opinion, this could easily be the best track here. “Purified (From The Sulfer)” has more of those echoing and dark clean guitar sounds with the entering of the heavier parts, reminiscent of the first Carcass.

The title track is just weird for the atmosphere the guitars create in some parts. The tremolo pickings create completely aseptic parts while there’s always the pure death metal to sustain the most brutal sections. The bass sounds like the beats of the huge mechanical presses we could find in the abandoned factories of some years ago. The sound is truly dark and dirty and the last, faster “Monument” has a break in which the riffs are always cut and truly metallic. The pedal helps the bass in changing once again its distortion and this time we can find a more progressive one again. Overall, this band was very brave in breeding a new conception of extremism in music, blending the death to the grind and these two heavy genres to the progressive music.

This courageous choice must be praised and the music here is already mature and dark at the same time with easily recognizable parts. Everything is good here and I recommend this little gem for those who want to discover a truly revolutionary album.

This (not so) well known Swedeath Metal album features Entombed and Therion members. While the overall album's superficial sound may sound like the first two Therion albums because the dark muscular and controled-fuzzy Sunlight studio guitar's sound it has.
For the Security has no verse/chorus/verse structure and a more psycho-grind song structures and simpler power-chord and tremolo yet rigid and powerful riffing, not to mention the (not) occasional use of dissonances. The drumming is relatively varied and has a jazzy vibe using (not abusing!) blastbeats among other interesting drum patterns and fills somewhat remiscent of Darkthrone's Soulside Journey album. The bass is totally audible and gives to the guitar riffing an even stronger low-end sound.

Some songs also have some psychedelic flange/chorus guitar and bass effects. Vocal effects and some clean speech/screams are used as well in some songs (Purified From the Sulfur in example.) When I say this album is Grinding Death Metal, I'm not saying it's Brutal Slam Wiggercore like Dying Fetus, Disgorge or any shitty modern band. This is also not Reek of Putrefaction or Scum either, but For the Security has a very notable Terrorizer influence in riffing and drumming.

The only reason why I did give this album 87 and not 90 or 91 points is because its length (28:15 minutes are damn short!). However, If you like Terrorizer or are an Old-school Swedeath fan there are high probabilities to like this album. Try to avoid the following albums, they aren't too alike to this album. Even If I enjoyed them, they are more experimental and less Metal, their last album only has clean vocals!

Again, If you like Terrorizer, Swedish Death Metal or are just curious get this album (Or download it since it's out of print and quite hard to describe.)