Today’s post is the cassette rip of one of the greatest grindcore bands ever, Pungent Stench.
With a limited understanding of English and a sense of humor that transcends linguistic barriers, Austria’s Pungent Stench pushed the limits of the already-obscene death metal vernacular. With early song titles like “Blood, Pus, and Gastric Juices” and “For God Your Soul, For Me Your Flesh”, these guys made it apparent that they were eagerly abandoning any chance of being taken seriously as artists.
With a limited understanding of English and a sense of humor that transcends linguistic barriers, Austria’s Pungent Stench pushed the limits of the already-obscene death metal vernacular. With early song titles like “Blood, Pus, and Gastric Juices” and “For God Your Soul, For Me Your Flesh”, these guys made it apparent that they were eagerly abandoning any chance of being taken seriously as artists.
Frankly, this is a refreshing attitude that is all-too-rare in Rock & Roll; one can find a similar approach in the early work of Chuck Schuldiner and his band Death, back when they were a great post-Black Metal death metal band. However, after the “Leprosy” album, I think most death metal aficionados would agree that Death had passed their prime.
This is Pungent Stench’s second album, and arguably their best. The cover “art” is the most blasphemous, obscene, horrendous shit upon which I’ve ever had the misfortune to have laid eyes, and fits perfectly with the diseased, pus-caked music within. If you can understand the lyrics at all (and trust me, the printed lyrics on the inlay card won’t help, as they are printed in an unintelligible, Beavis-esque scrawl) you will be instantly revolted. Bottom line: you would have to be insane to want to hear this abrasive, disgusting, offensive shit.
But all that aside, Pungent Stench were furious riff-mongers, churning out dozens of fantastic Sabbath-y riffs on this album. And the songs, by grindcore standards, are stellar, often containing furious hooks that you might find yourself humming hours later. The lyrics are fucking hilarious, exploring such themes as cannibalism, S&M, mother murder, and mummification with an infectious innocence that only inexperienced ESL-speakers could unearth in the tired, overused English language.
Her asshole was a fouling pit, what a hit!:
This is Pungent Stench’s second album, and arguably their best. The cover “art” is the most blasphemous, obscene, horrendous shit upon which I’ve ever had the misfortune to have laid eyes, and fits perfectly with the diseased, pus-caked music within. If you can understand the lyrics at all (and trust me, the printed lyrics on the inlay card won’t help, as they are printed in an unintelligible, Beavis-esque scrawl) you will be instantly revolted. Bottom line: you would have to be insane to want to hear this abrasive, disgusting, offensive shit.
But all that aside, Pungent Stench were furious riff-mongers, churning out dozens of fantastic Sabbath-y riffs on this album. And the songs, by grindcore standards, are stellar, often containing furious hooks that you might find yourself humming hours later. The lyrics are fucking hilarious, exploring such themes as cannibalism, S&M, mother murder, and mummification with an infectious innocence that only inexperienced ESL-speakers could unearth in the tired, overused English language.
Her asshole was a fouling pit, what a hit!:
5 comments:
ha, i'm not that grindcore and metal lover, but I remember to copy this tape from a friend because it really kicks ass - they got a kind of groove as I remember right (still downloading this) - it was 15 years ago... thanks ;-)
cover is a joel peter witkin photograph, i think one of his better ones really
Thanks William! I always had visions of the members of Pungent Stench sneaking into a mortuary and twisting the heads off a couple of cadavers so they could get that photo. Frankly, it's the reason I insist on being immediately cremated after death. For some reason, the fact that an actual artist took that photo is a little more comforting...
the photo isnt of a couple of cadavers' heads, its one head cut down the middle! notice how the 'dudes' look the same? yeah, same dude, head open. the photo on the cover of 'for god your soul..' is taken by the same photographer, Joel Peter Witkin. I took one of my Witkin books to one of their gigs, they sat reading it for ages then drew pictures in it for me. Mr Wank even posted me a video of an interview with Witkin he had taped off tv. awesome.
Get the most out of your cadaver head by using it twice!
Smart man, that Witkin!
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