Sweden 2008, Johannes Andersson and Mikael Pettersson got together to form a metal band. Later on, guitarist and songwriter Jonathan Hultén joined the trio now known as Stench. In 2010, they released their debut full length, In Putrescence.
This first output is made of eight songs, for a total playing time of 31 minutes. Sweden is easily associated with one extreme musical direction, death metal, and that is what this band is all about. Nothing new or outstanding, but some old school and in your face death metal is what your money will buy. Although the sound production is good, I found the guitar work a bit shy for this kind of music. The drums are pounding, the bass rolling and the riffs are often pretty juicy. The vocals are interesting here since they differ from the usual growls. They are of a harsh nature, but they have some effects in them making them more of a whisper than in your face scream actually. The guitar is still capable of displaying a melodious side by including arpeggios, leads and tremolo pickings here and there. None of the songs are outstanding, although "Ghosts" caught my attention with the good elements mentioned plus some clean guitar playing at the end. The following track, "Breath of the Rottenness" has also its melodious moments in the intro.
All in all, In Putrescence is a pretty typical, run-of-the-mill death metal release.
Track listing:
1- The Blackness
2- Face of Death
3- Ghosts
4- Breath of the Rottenness
5- The Fire
6- Crimson Hills
7- Drenched in the Light
8- The Ones Who Rot
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