Carbonized

All Music Guide:

Carbonized was conceived as an experimental side project in the late '80s by certain members of death metal band Therion and some of their friends from within Sweden's incestuous extreme music scene. Looking to have a little fun outside their ultra-serious and depressing main bands, Therion vocalist/guitarist Jonas Derouche and drummer Piotr Wawrzeniuk were joined by future Serpent, Therion, and Entombed bassist Lars Rosenberg and guest vocalist Matti Karki from Dismember to jam on a few ideas for a psychedelic/grindcore hybrid. Their wild, probably drug-fuelled musings resulted in 1991's bizarre For the Security opus, which repulsed as many listeners as it attracted with its quirky aural creations. And yet, it only hinted at the bizarre death jazz the group would concoct in the next year's even more "out there" Disharmonization album -- generally considered to be their finest hour. Commitments to their regular bands kept the musicians busy in years to come, but Carbonized reconvened for a final freak-out in 1996, resulting in that year's Screaming Machines. Part pisstake, part revolutionary landmark (you be the judge), the LP delved ever deeper into psychedelics and progressive metal experiments, quoting the music of everyone from Pink Floyd to Sonic Youth to Black Flag to Voivod. One can only imagine what boundaries they'll cross should they ever record again.

Wikipedia:

Carbonized were a Swedish death metal band formed 1988 in Saltsjöbaden. The band was formed by Lars Rosenberg in 1988, with Dismember vocalist Matti Kärki. Joined by drummer Piotr Wawrzeniuk, the trio was completed by Therion's Christofer Johnsson, who originally agreed to only perform session guitarwork but eventually became a full-time member.

Music

Quite different from anything that any of the members would become involved in later, the three albums ran the gamut from psychedelic infused grindcore on For The Security to dischordant jazz-metal weirdness on Disharmonization to something apparently stranger and more avant-garde on Screaming Machines, and described as "the worst of Sonic Youth, Syd Barret era Pink Floyd, old Black Flag, and Voivod" by Christofer Johnsson. Both Rosenberg and Wawrzeniuk were featured on a few Therion albums through Christopher Johnnson, and they also paired up in the doom band Serpent.