To count the number of bands/projects Rogga Johansson has been in is insanely futile task. I bet the number is in the teens. Some he has started or helped create, on others he contributed his ripping guitar and vomitous vocals. Many of those projects (Paganizer, Bone Gnawer, Banished from Inferno, The 11th Hour) has been reviewed on this site. The common thread between many of these outfits – an undying devotion to the art of brutality, most often manifesting itself through Swedish death metal incarnations of various ilk.

Megascavenger, in a way, is not different, however, it has got a twist. Still firmly rooted in the Swedish death metal realm, the project will feature Rogga on guitars and songwriting, while the vocalist spot will be occupied by the revolving door of the most famous names in the genre. (No idea who is manning the rhythm section). Dan Swano, Patrick Mameli and others are scheduled to appear later, while the current, almost promotional, EP Songs of Flesh (Part I) features Jurgen Sandstrom (Grave, Torture Division, The Project Hate) and Paul Speckmann (Master).

If Swedish death metal is not your thing, I highly doubt this two-song teaser will change your mind. The genre seems to have been frozen in time, and those who deal with it in the way Entombed and Dismember originally created it are bound to be triumphant. Somehow in this case familiarity truly breeds success. Rogga Johansson can reproduce the sound seemingly in his sleep and he is the last thing from experimental on Songs of Flesh (Part I), riffing and grooving in almost painfully familiar territory.

Deathobsessed is a mid-pace groovy smasher with simplistic yet catchy riffs, showcasing Sandstrom low timbre growl. The song never deviates from the laid out blueprint. Speckmann reaches for higher notes on No Haven for the Sane, and the cut does move around from grindy detunage to flying off the handle solos to obtuse outro. It would be interesting to see on the full-length how vocalists will be paired up with the material to know whether this can become a super-project or this could really have been handled by one single vocalist and would not suffer a bit. One thing for sure – Rogga Johansson is one boundless riff pit, and his determination and energy has not changed. The release is for true fans only.