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LEPER COLONY have announced their third full-length album "Back To Primal Sludge, set for release on October 9th 2026 through Testimony Records.
The first single "These Blades" has been premiered here with a music video:
Shred-master Rogga Johansson comments: "This ferocious track whips uptempo filth your way and opens up a new breathing hole in your neck. Meaty, fully fleshed-out riffs, mercilessly pounding drums, and a brutal vocal delivery deluxe are included. For us, 'These Blades' creates a perfect equilibrium between the American and Swedish approaches to death metal."
LEPER COLONY hold firm and relentlessly soldier on in their unholy quest to create the perfect equilibrium between the Floridian and Stockholm styles of old school death metal on "Back to Primal Sludge".
This defines "Back to Primal Sludge" in many ways as a direct continuation of their sophomore album "Those of the Morbid" (2025). Yet, there are twists and tweaks in the details. While the previous release offered a handful of references to deadly German influences, these have been further reduced just as the second album had dropped the classic thrash elements from the self-titled LEPER COLONY debut (2023).
LEPER COLONY came into being as a physical expression of the long-year friendship between German vocalist Marc Grewe and Swedish guitarist Rogga Johansson. Both decided in 2020 that their mutual love for old school death metal should come together in the shape of an album.
Marc Grewe firmly established his name as the former frontman of MORGOTH, and later with INSIDIOUS DISEASE as well as ASINHELL. Guitarist and bass player Rogga Johansson has left a massive trace in Swedish death metal as a member of many successful acts including PAGANIZER, RIBSPREADER, and REVOLTING.
The core duo at first enlisted the aid of CONSUMPTION drummer Jon Skäre and lead-guitarist Kjetil Lyngahug (PAGANIZER) to record "Leper Colony". Later, they were permanently joined by British drummer Jon Rudin, who is known best from MONSTROUS and DEAD SUN, among several other death metal bands.
With "Back to Primal Sludge", LEPER COLONY deliver another work of old school death metal love that every fanatic of this brutal genre and follower of this band has been hoping for!
Tracklist:
1. Madness Is a Kingdom
2. These Blades
3. Dead Soul Consortium
4. Thrown to the Pigs
5. Back to Primal Sludge
6. Flesh Grater
7. Seelenjäger
8. Harness the Undead
9. Beneath the Fat and Gristle
"Back To Primal Sludge, will be released October 9th 2026 through Testimony Records.
ONLINE
LINEUP
Marc Grewe – Vocals
Rogga Johansson – Guitars, Bass
Jon Rudin – Drums
Håkan Stuvemark - Guitar
BIOGRAPHY/LOGO
Leper Colony is an international old-school death metal supergroup formed in 2021 by former Morgoth vocalist Marc Grewe and Swedish death metal veteran Rogga Johansson, one of the genre's most prolific musicians through his work with bands such as Paganizer, Ribspreader, Revolting and many others. Their goal was simple: to create uncompromising death metal inspired by the early 1990s, combining the brutality of the American scene with the darkness and melodic edge of Swedish death metal.
To complete the lineup, the duo recruited acclaimed lead guitarist Håkan Stuvemark (Wombbath, Rex Demonus), bassist Jonny Pettersson (Heads for the Dead, Ashcloud, Just Before Dawn) and drummer Brynjar Helgetun (Crypticus, The Grotesquery). Together they formed a band built on decades of experience within the underground death metal scene.
Leper Colony released their self-titled debut album in 2023 through Transcending Obscurity Records. The album was widely praised for its crushing riffs, savage vocals and authentic old-school atmosphere, drawing comparisons to legendary bands such as Death, Morgoth, Massacre, Obituary, Grave and Entombed. Rather than relying on nostalgia alone, the band delivered a fresh and energetic interpretation of classic death metal, supported by excellent musicianship and memorable songwriting.
In 2025, Leper Colony returned with their sophomore album, Those of the Morbid. Expanding upon the strengths of the debut, the album offered heavier grooves, sharper songwriting and an even darker atmosphere while remaining firmly rooted in traditional death metal. The release further established the band as one of the leading modern acts dedicated to preserving the spirit of classic death metal without sounding dated.
Although its members remain active in numerous other projects, Leper Colony has quickly earned a reputation as far more than a side project. Their music captures the raw aggression, memorable riffs and uncompromising attitude that defined the golden era of death metal, making them one of the strongest contemporary representatives of the old-school death metal movement.
DISCOGRAPHY
Leper Colony (2023)
Those of the Morbid (2025)
Back to Primal Sludge (2026)
GENRE/COUNTRY
Death Metal/Thrash Metal
Germany/Sweden
