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Stench of Decay > Visions Beyond Death > Reviews > Phuling
Stench of Decay - Visions Beyond Death

Stench of Decay - Visions beyond death - 75%

Phuling, May 30th, 2011

I missed the early rage about Stench of Decay, and never got ahold of a copy of their much appreciated Where death and decay reign demo. I saw the band live, but wasn’t blow away by them, and hence didn’t really have any expectations for Visions beyond death. From what I’ve heard in the past (knowledge gathered from a gig and brief listen to the previously mentioned demo) these Finnish lads definitely seem to have taken a huge leap forward.

Staying so true to the Scandinavian old school recipe it’s quite impressive how heavy the sound is. The production really makes it stand out in a way that the bands of yore didn’t, and that the new generation of old school doesn’t. It seems that today bands either go for the raw and dirty sound or a clean and crisp sound, rarely this type of heavy and thundering one. It’s like the guitar and bass intertwines so perfectly you can hardly tell which rumble is which, and the riffing of the two instruments coincide in a fantastic way. It retains a rough edge, yet remains seriously heavy-sounding.

The two tunes on here take on different approaches. The opener, Vision beyond death, sounds very Bolt Thrower inspired, and is a doom-trodden song with a serious case of chainsaw-riffing. It remains firmly at a slower pace, and occasionally hints of Morbid Angel. But as The endless void takes over it picks up speed, closes in on blasting with the added aggression and brutality it brings. The riffing feels just as rumbling and thundering, despite the faster tempo, and it never goes overboard with speed, and still remains very true to the style’s roots.

Stench of Decay mix the typical Finnish doomy type of old school with a touch of Stockholm and a great deal of American inspiration. I can’t say that it’s truly mind-blowing, re-inventing the genre or is really anything you haven’t heard before. But what I can tell you is they do their thing really well, and manages to create powerful compositions that still stand out despite the flooding renaissance of old school the world is experiencing right now.

Originally written for My Last Chapter