PUNGENT STENCH - Ampeauty

By Brendan O'Flaherty - Catatonia Shall Prevail - 02/22/2005

Over a decade ago, when death metal as a genre was in desperate need of something fresh and original, Pungent Stench provided something simultaneously brutal, fast, funny, sick, perverted and groovy to enthrall us with. Well, the perverted Austrians are at it again and they continue to excel at conceiving art that’s both sick and fetishistic with this new platter of sludgy death n’ roll, cleverly titled Ampeauty.

Death n’ roll it is alright! The production on this one is straight out of the Wolverine Blues playbook, but the songwriting is all vintage Stench. This ain’t no Been Caught Buttering or Club Mondo Bizarre, so the lurching undertow isn’t all there and the band has ditched the sudden impromptu disco & funk breaks they did on previous records. Instead, they are letting the lyrics and the cover art provide all the humor. Nevertheless, Pungent Stench still deliver some great heavy ditties like “Invisible Empire” and “The Amp Hymn” that are both technical and catchy. If you want something faster, then skip those tracks and check out “Same Shit – Different Asshole” and “Fear The Grand Inquisitor”.

Overall, Pungent Stench haven’t really changed much over a decade of existence and perhaps they aren’t as vital as they once were to the underground metal scene. Still, this is a good record and you should check it out. Or better yet, check out their previous records. You might catch yourself doin’ the klyster boogie.