In Putrescence if the first full-length from Stench, that also marks the follow-up to the band's debut EP. The group, who hail from Sweden, formed back in 2007, originally signed with Soulseller Records to release that EP as a 7" vinyl back in April of 2009, and recently signed with Agonia Records to put out this full-length effort. While hailing from Sweden, the band doesn't take the geographical Death Metal expectations into any concern, and just plays straight forward Death Metal without any hint of melody to drive the music along. Basically, In Putrescence runs for eight tracks, and it's simply eight songs that sound like well done putrifying Death Metal.
And it's great to see a Swedish act not succumb to the general compositions laid out by some of the region's more notable acts. The music on In Putrescence sounds chunky, heavy, and disgusting, but all in a good way. Of course, the band can't completely escape it's geographical roots, and some material has some general semi-melodic guitar work in the background of the song, but there it remains and doesn't keep the song going in a predetermined path. "Ghosts" features this in the guitar, but the bass drives the song along in a less conventional Swedish Death Metal manner, keeping with the hammering, faster-pace of the material to create a life all it's own. Of course, "Breath of the Rottenness" is where the bass really shines, and while the guitar does a fantastic job and even puts in a great guitar solo and some fast strumming of chords in the bridges, the bass just rings out with deep, menacing tones that really add to the overall dirty feeling of the album.
Each track on this release also seems to offer and different approach. While "Breath of the Rottenness" is a fast paced track that just sounds vile, as well as the starting track "The Blackness", you also have "Drenched in the Light" which goes between a faster pace, as well as a slower one. The slower flow affects the song in and out through the ending third of the track, and the very end goes to an acoustic-like piece that sets a very haunting atmosphere for the remainer of the song before it rings out with some high-pitched guitar feedback, which slams in "The Ones Who Rot", which is just another faster paced track, and has a little two-step going on, feeding into a slightly Thrash inspired feel, or even a traditional first wave Death Metal sound. This song also goes in and out of slower moments, which are used more to set up atmosphere then anything, and fill gaps between those atmosphere making moments.
For the most part, though, In Putrescence is an intense Death Metal thrill ride that doesn't really have anything holding it down. The more raw production quality enhances the overall dirty feel of the music, and the songs are well done and offer a great variety through the album, keeping the material from becoming repetitive. The bass, which is typically overlooked on albums, takes on a life of it's own, and really just makes this album not only sound dirties, but also makes it much heavier and that much more intense. For their first full-length, Stench comes out swinging with a highly impressive work of Death Metal that doesn't bow down to stereotypical ideas of Swedish Death Metal legacy, and effectively hammers away at the listener with a rough sound that, at first, may turn off the listener, but if it doesn't hook you on the first time through, it will quickly grow on you and show just what it has to offer, and why it's a great piece of Death Metal.
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