Band:	Stench Of Decay
Album:	Where Death And Decay Reign
Style:	Death metal
Release date:	May 09, 2009
A review by:	Troy Killjoy

01. Creation Of Carnal Lust
02. Into The Depths Of Madness
03. Where Death And Decay Reign
04. Vulgar Necrolatry [Abhorrence cover] [feat. Jukka Kolehmainen]

Death metal
Finland
Detest Records, limited edition

Line-up on the cassette:
Jussi Rajala - vocals
Rami Simelius - guitar
Ville Virtanen - guitar
Tommi Sookari - bass
Jesse Toivonen - drums


Stench Of Decay is a Finnish death metal band formed in 2004 by bassist Tommi Sookari and guitarist Rami Simelius. They released a demo independently a few years ago in order to gain label interest, and the result was a contract with Detest Records. Over the years the band members worked on new material, leading to this follow-up demo in 2009.

And not much has changed since their first release. They stick to their guns by playing a simple death metal sound, providing us with their answer to Cannibal Corpse's Eaten Back To Life, which, at the end of the day, isn't really a bad thing. It's just nothing new. At times there are nice catchy leads and satisfying riffs, but overall there isn't anything on this demo that hasn't been played before. The guitars are crunchy, the drumming is technically sound, and the vocals are beastly without crossing into brutal death metal territory. And if the album title is any indication of the lyrical content, you can bet these guys are praising death and its effects.

This demo is also produced fairly well; there is enough original material to suggest the band is capable of releasing a decent full-length album, and with Detest Records at the helm you know they will continue their path of destruction as a pure death metal act. That being said, Stench Of Decay could definitely use some help finding an identity for themselves, lest they become another faceless copycat band that's left behind in the rat race of the Finnish metal scene. If they can build on the mixture of melody and brutality found on the self-titled track, Stench Of Decay could conceivably find their own sound, joining the ranks of Torture Killer and Sotajumala as a "big" Finnish death metal outfit.

A bit of trivia for Finnish death metal fans: original Abhorrence vocalist Jukka Kolehmainen performs on the band's cover of "Vulgar Necrolatry". The song fits in the with rest of the band's original material, which again exposes the lack of originality present on the demo, or perhaps Stench Of Decay are too busy paying homage to their influences and not focused enough on making a name for themselves.

There is potential for this band to outgrow their underground status, but it wouldn't surprise me if Where Death And Decay Reign will be the strongest material they ever release.


Website: http://www.myspace.com/stenchofdecay