Stench - In Putrescence (2010)

With all the uninspired and borings as hell Death Metal releases these days, it comes to us as a shock that Stench’s debut full-length releases “In Putrescence” is as good as it is, especially for a debut album. Hailing from Sweden, the band takes the basics of Death Metal and crafts a very interesting and elaborate sound that makes them sound very unique in comparison to most DM releases these days.

“In Putrescence” features 8 tracks of highly addictive Death Metal that will have you headbanging for the 30 minutes that the album lasts. This three man band takes a different approach to the chugging riffs of traditional Death Metal and features a wide variety of slow passages that create a very haunting atmosphere when combined with the mournful screams. But they manage to keep a very solid core of catchy riffs, blistering drumming and interesting song structures that never get dull.

Divided in two 4 song ‘parts’, the band starts things off with the frantic “The Blackness”, quickly showing a dominant sound with some Punk-ish feeling to it. Immediately after with “Face of Death” the band continues their onslaught of double-kick drumming and deranged screams only to change the pace a bit with their next track “Ghosts”. This track and the last one of this ‘part’ show a more melodic and slower paced side of the band, but with equal quality and chaos as the first songs.

The second ‘part’ of the album follows a similar structure, but obviously with a hefty variety of different riffs and more structured drum sections. The band’s ability to craft interesting atmospheres in their songs is unparalleled, and they do a great job in avoiding the usual amount of repetition commonly found in DM albums.

For fans of Death Metal with that Swedish vibe minus the ‘groove’ that most recent bands have incorporated into their sound, Stench’s “In Putrescence” is probably one of the best albums of the genre in 2010. The band effortlessly crafts catchy songs and creates a very sick and demented atmosphere, all of this a traditional instrument base and solid vocals. We can be sure that this band will be surprising us even more with their next album, so keep them in mind for the future and get this release before it’s too late.

Release: November 1st, 2010

Country: Sweden