Stenchcore: What is that genre, and can it be in Metal Academy?
Earlier today, I found a metal subgenre in RYM that was never mentioned in this site... Stenchcore! That name would be hard to say with a straight face... Anyway, what is stenchcore? According to RYM, it's a "Heavier, more metallic form of Crust Punk drawing influence from Thrash Metal as well as Death Metal and Heavy Metal." I don't think we've made a single mention of this subgenre...until now, when that site deemed it both a metal and crust punk subgenre. However, with its very short amount of releases in RYM (152), I'm not really sure if it can be valid as a genre here, but if it is, where would it go, The Horde, The Pit, or both of those clans? I don't know, the closest I've ever been to crust punk is Neurosis' Pain of Mind and one song from Fall of Efrafa. So, below are the links to few prominent stenchcore releases that are already in MA as either thrash or death metal. If anyone here is brave enough for this small challenge or has some knowledge of crust punk mixed with metal, please feel free to check them out and discuss what you think. Taste the crust and smell the stenchcore!
https://metal.academy/releases/8919
https://metal.academy/releases/17941
It's probably worth mentioning that there are also another couple of new subgenres on RYM in Black Noise & Pornogrind, neither of which will be considered for the Metal Academy database without having conducted extensive research to ensure that they're a relevant differentiator. We both feel that RYM's growing subgenre list has gotten out of hand recently & we won't be following them blindly. The genre voting on that site has gone from bad to worse in recent years too with a few senior members often leading the masses up the garden path.
We both feel that RYM's growing subgenre list has gotten out of hand recently & we won't be following them blindly.
Glad to hear it. I love RYM, but I've never liked their tendency to endlessly subdivide genres and create new tags for pretty much any tiny handful of bands that sound slightly different to others.
I know that Bolt Thrower started out with a strong stenchcore sound in their early debuts. I recently heard them going through the albums I hadn't heard yet just last week. It seems from the stenchcore charts that most of the albums voted stenchcore were already part of another metal primary, typically either thrash or death. There are also instances of sludge. I can't really decide if it should belong to The Horde or The Pit, but with stenchcore being a punk genre, it's interesting that none of the albums there are tagged as crossover thrash save one album boasting it as a secondary and not a primary, which means the thrash instances are just another combination. The same could be said for the albums voted death metal, but stench's extremities are closer to death because it typically focuses more on pure brutality than thrash which is a little more rhythm-oriented. I think stenchcore, if accepted, should go to The Horde, and if not the Horde, The Pit would be the closest second.
And I've heard enough noise albums to confirm that black noise can totally be its own thing.
So my deep dive into the Stenchcore genre begun yesterday. Here's some thoughts on the first record I investigated:
Amebix - "Arise!" (1985)
This debut album is currently tagged as both Crust Punk & Stenchcore at RYM & I think I can differentiate which tracks fall into each category pretty comfortably. What we have here is a filthy combination of hardcore, metal & post-punk with, from what I can gather, tracks like "Largactyl" & "Slave" falling into the Crust Punk category in that they're influenced by metal & show a few common traits without really ever feeling like metal & the thrashier tracks like "Axeman", "Fear Of God", "Spoils Of Victory" & the title track falling into the Stenchcore category in that they cross the line into genuine metal territory while still maintaining the hardcore aesthetic. Based on this experience alone Stenchcore seems to be intense hardcore music that borrows the riffs & vocals from the dirtier & more extreme early 80's metal bands (Venom, Motorhead, Hellhammer, Bathory, etc.) & presents them with an obviously hardcore-driven production & tone. In this case the Venom influence is the most prominent, especially in the vocals which are the spitting image of Cronos. Is there enough metal here to warrant inclusion at Metal Academy? Well I'd suggest that four of the nine tracks fall into the Stenchcore category & that's just enough to have me reaching for my metal pass. What clan would it belong to? Well despite the Venom & Motorhead links, I'd suggest that members of The Pit would be the most likely to enjoy a record like this one as it simply feels too dirty & punky for The Guardians with absolutely zero in the way of polish or precision & a healthy dose of Discharge which never goes astray in the thrash community. Perhaps that's why I've found myself enjoying it given that I'm a loyal member of The Pit. There are a couple of duds on the A side but there's enough quality to keep me interested with the more ambitious tracks being particularly enjoyable.
For fans of Axegrinder, Sacrilege & Hellbastard.
3.5/5
I'd suggest that this is probably the best example of the Stenchcore sound on the album for those that are interested:
think stenchcore, if accepted, should go to The Horde, and if not the Horde, The Pit would be the closest second.
I'm already skeptical about inclusion in The Horde as the very first Stenchcore release I've explored (which is arguably the most well-known example of the subgenre too) has nothing whatsoever to do with death metal or grindcore. The Pit is a definite possibility though. I just have to figure out if the Stenchcore genre is even required or if the majority of its releases can fit under an existing subgenre easily enough. It'll be interesting to see.
think stenchcore, if accepted, should go to The Horde, and if not the Horde, The Pit would be the closest second.
I'm already skeptical about inclusion in The Horde as the very first Stenchcore release I've explored (which is arguably the most well-known example of the subgenre too) has nothing whatsoever to do with death metal or grindcore. The Pit is a definite possibility though. I just have to figure out if the Stenchcore genre is even required or if the majority of its releases can fit under an existing subgenre easily enough. It'll be interesting to see.
Now that I think about it, The Pit COULD use a punk genre other than crossover thrash...
Amebix - "Monolith" (1987)
OK, so Amebix's sophomore album has already thrown a cat amongst the pigeons in regard to the validity of Stenchcore as a legitimate genre of metal as it simply hasn't got much to do with punk music whatsoever. It's really a pretty obvious mixture of Venom, Killing Joke & particularly Motorhead & if none of those bands are tagged as Crust Punk or Stenchcore then there's no reason for "Monolith" to be either as it's arguably as metal as any of them & doesn't include any more of a Punk vibe. The production job is significantly cleaner than it was on "Arise!" but it's still fairly dirty. The music however is heavily weighted towards metal with only "Fallen From Grace" seeing the band producing the Stenchcore hybrid sound I was led to believe was in store for me. The majority of the remainder sits very much in Motorhead territory with a few more aggressive Speed Metal numbers thrown in for good measure. The Post-Punk leanings of the debut are still clearly visible too although they're probably not significant enough to warrant a secondary tag. Whereas the debut offered a vocal approach that was very clearly motoring down the Cronos lane, "Monolith" sees The Baron staddling a number of horses to great effect with Lemmy (Motorhead), Jaz Coleman (Killing Joke) & Quorthon (Bathory) all enjoying some air time. This is a bloody good Heavy Metal record I have to say though & was a clear step up from "Arise!" in my opinion.
For fans of Motorhead, G.I.S.M. & Tau Cross.
4/5
Try this on for an example of the Stenchcore sound:
I'm gonna take a little bit of time away from updating my top 100 metal albums to explore Amebix. But I need to conserve time if I'm gonna get it done quickly. I've got a lot of long albums I plan on listening to this week and I'm not sure what I'll have to do to update my chart next. The users on another metal site are getting anxious to see my top 100.
Still, I'm gonna be a part of this discussion as much as I can. If stench is going to the Pit, I'll be happy that one of my clans will represent a punk genre other than crossover thrash. I just heard three Amebix ep's and I just started Arise.
Saw Throat - "Inde$troy" (1989)
OK, so this supposed Stenchcore release is the third album from English grindcore/crust punk outfit Sore Throat & sees the band taking a very different musical direction to their previous material. I'm familiar with their other albums from my tape trading days but hadn't heard this record for one reason or another which is a real shame as I think it's probably their best work from what I can remember of their back catalogue. "Inde$troy" is essentially a single 42 minute epic made up of eight different phases that straddle a number of different genres. The tracklisting is book-ended by two huge eleven minute epics, both of which are roughly 50% ambient music. I'd describe the rest of the album as being Industrial Sludge Metal with Crust Punk influences. There's only one track that I would confidently say is worthy of the Stenchcore label which is the second phase. It's also worth mentioning that if I had to allocate clans to this release it'd go in The Sphere & The Fallen so we haven't got much consistency across the first three Stenchcore releases in that regard thus far with all three seemingly pushing for different clan associations. Still... "Inde$troy" is a damn fine record that I regard as the best of the three releases I've investigated in this deep dive thus far. The vocals are very much a grindcore bellow & I really dig the sludgy doom riffs which are often offset with industrial feedback to make the atmosphere a touch more apocalyptic. There's some particularly solid material included & it's aged very well indeed for a late 80's release from the underground grindcore scene. It's just not worthy of a brand new Metal Academy genre tag in my opinion.
For fans of Neurosis, Godflesh & Fange.
4/5
Here's another example of the Stenchcore sound:
I decided to give this album a listen and a review for a couple reasons: 1. To tag along in the stenchcore ride despite this release sounding otherwise. 2. I'm a fan of Neurosis (both a bit of their crust punk era and a lot of their post-sludge material) and Godflesh, the latter's debut coming slightly after this offering from Saw Throat.
Sore Throat was known as a classic band in the crust/grindcore scene, delivering avalanche after avalanche of short fast tunes. Their over 40-minute single-track concept album Inde$troy is essentially an 8-part ambient industrial sludge epic with barely any of their crust/grind roots. And it's not the best album of that style either, but it's enjoyable in a few parts that I would specifically point out being the long ambient intro and outro, and the standard hardcore heaviness of the "Air" section. Basically those highlights take up half of the album with absolute power. The ambient sections work out as an easy-listening soundtrack to the apocalypse of a dystopian society. Yet the in-between-sounding parts don't do well for me. Anyway, if you're looking for an earlier, more ambient/industrial attempt at a grindcore band's sludge epic than Pig Destroyer's Natasha, here you go...
3/5
Filth of Mankind - "The Final Chapter" (2000)
OK, so here we have a legitimate Stenchcore release in that it's very much a combination of Crust Punk & Death/Thrash so it definitely ticks both the Crust Punk & the extreme metal boxes. In fact, there's even a couple of tracks that I'd describe as Death 'n' Roll & Viking Metal included too which ensures its metal credentials aren't easily overlooked. The use of epic Bathory-style keyboards is interesting but doesn't really suit the punky vibe in my opinion. The Death Metal component is mainly in the Brujeria-style vocal delivery with the instrumentation mostly falling into the Thrash Metal or (occasionally) traditional Heavy Metal camps. The performances are fairly sloppy though which ties into the Punk DIY mentality.
I was a little bit on the fence as to which side of my appreciation cut-off point this release would fall as half of the material doesn't appeal to me all that much. Thankfully it's the more significant & lengthy tracks that I enjoy & that was the deciding factor in coming out of the experience with a positive outlook. If "The Final Chapter" was to fit into the current Metal Academy clan structure I'd have no hesitation in placing it into The Pit & there's probably an argument to have it reside in the The Horde too. It's definitely the weakest of the releases I've investigated in the Stenchcore experiment thus far though.
For fans of Deviated Instinct, Axegrinder & Amebix.
3.5/5
Here's an example of the Stenchcore sound:
Axegrinder - "The Rise Of The Serpent Men" (1989)
London-based -piece Axegrinder's debut album is another one that I consider to be a true Stenchcore release. There's a strong Thrash Metal & Crust Punk influence with the vocal delivery heavily favouring the punk side of the equation & the production job being suitably dirty . It's actually a pretty consistent record with only the one weak track in the noticeably flat "Hellstorm" & the quality steadily improves as the album progresses with the last few tracks being the strongest inclusions in the tracklisting. I'd suggest that this release would sit pretty comfortably in The Pit.
For fans of Amebix, Hellbastard & Deviated Instinct.
3.5/5
Here's the strongest example of Axegrinder's Stenchcore sound:
I think the only problem with stenchcore is that there isn't enough of it to form a proper list challenge without duplicating bands. But other than that, it seems like it's definitely a Pit genre.
Hellbastard - "Heading For Internal Darkness" (1988)
For a band that had the Crust Punk subgenre named after one of it's early releases, this debut album isn't particularly punky. It's essentially a sloppily performed Thrash Metal record with some Stenchcore & Crossover Thrash influences here & there & its position in The Pit is appropriate. In fact, the sloppy execution, shouty vocals & dodgy production are probably the link to hardcore punk but the instrumentation is predominantly thrash-based so I don't buy the whole Stenchcore thing for this release. I actually picked this album up through the tape trading scene a zillion years ago & don't remember it impressing me much. It's not a not a dog by any means but it's also not a particularly impressive record either. I struggle with the lethargic vocal delivery & the single-take nature of the production job, not to mention the dominating snare sound or the out-of-time rhythm guitar work. It's easily the weakest release of the Stenchcore deep dive thus far.
For fans of Axegrinder, Sacrilege & Amebix.
3/5
Here's an example of when they do go in the Stenchcore direction:
Prophecy of Doom - "Acknowledge The Confusion Master" (1990)
This is another release that I picked up during my tape trading days & very quickly forgot about. I was surprised to see it listed as Stenchcore actually as I didn't remember it being anything outside of my usual extreme metal comfort zone & it would seem that my memory is not all that bad for an old fella because this is nothing more than a low grade deathgrind record. You'll get the tremolo-picked death metal riffage of Bolt Thrower blended with the mid-paced grind grooves of 1989-90 period Napalm Death & late 80's Carcass. The annoyingly gurgled vocal delivery is very much in line with the Carcass model with high-pitched screams bursting out of the speakers at extremely high volumes to make sure that you're paying attention. I find that element of the band's sound to be a real weakness to be honest as it's pretty hard to take seriously. Doomy album highlight "Prophetic Believers Act" sees Prophecy of Doom slowing things down a bit & adding a layer of atmosphere & I believe that's the direction they would take on later releases but I've not had the pleasure of hearing any of their other material to date. So where is the Crust Punk here? I think people are just confusing the Grindcore component to be honest as there's virtually no legitimate punk here. This release should stay in The Horde where it belongs & once again the Stenchcore deep dive has dipped to a new low point.
For fans of Napalm Death, Carcass & Bolt Thrower.
3/5
Deviated Instinct - "Rock 'n' Roll Conformity" (1988)
This one's a traditional Crust Punk record with the metal component being easily covered by that tag & the best moments reaching out into Thrashcore territory. I'm led to believe that the band's later releases offer more of a metal component so perhaps this one has simply been dragged along for the ride. There's a crap-tonne of speed, intensity & punk rock energy here & I'd suggest that fans of the more extreme hardcore will probably drool over this record. If it had to be added to the Academy database then I'd suggest it should sit under Non-Metal. The Pit would be the closest fit of the proper clans.
For fans of Axegrinder, Amebix & Hellbastard.
3.5/5
Stormcrow - "Enslaved In Darkness" (2005)
Once again we have a release that has very little to do with Crust Punk or what I understand Stenchcore to be. The sole full-length from this Californian five-piece is more of a sludgy death metal record & I feel that it's only the hardcore bark of front man Brian & the punky Entombed-ish beats under some of the death metal riffs that leads people to claim this as a Stenchcore release. The filthy guitar tone sits somewhere between early Bolt Thrower & the classic Swedish death metal sound while there are a number of doomier sections that remind me a fair bit of Asphyx & represent some of the highlights of the album. The B Side sees the band heading in a sludgier direction with some of the material bringing to mind bands like High On Fire. The thick production job is the clear strength for this record as Stormcrow clearly possess a well-defined & super-crushing sound. Each song includes a riff or two that let's them down a little though & a bit of quality control could easily have turned this from a pretty decent record into a really great one. It's not all that far off but doesn't quite get there in the end in my opinion. "Enslaved In Darkness" sits pretty comfortably in The Horde & doesn't really need any other tag other than Death Metal, despite the clear sludge leanings.
For fans of Bolt Thrower, Entombed & Mammoth Grinder.
3.5/5
Hellbastard - "Ripper Crust" demo (1986)
This early demo tape is regarded as the source of the "Crust Punk" tag & I like it much better than Hellbastard's 1988 debut album "Heading For Internal Darkness". This one's got a stronger punk component with more up-tempo material & seems like a better fit for the Stenchcore tag in my opinion even if it's more of a Stenchcore/Thrash Metal hybrid than anything else. The tracklisting is very inconsistent but when Hellbastard get a touch more violent aggressive they can really tear shreds off ya. The Hellhammer & Slayer influences are really obvious with a few riffs being nothing short of blatant plagiarism. I really dig the gruff vocals though & completely off-the-hook lead guitar work though. This release is worth a few listens & would sit very comfortably in The Pit.
For fans of Hellhammer, Slayer & Axegrinder.
3.5/5
Lifeless Dark - "Who Will Be The Victims?" demo (2018)
A really well produced twelve minute demo of powerful US stenchcore with cool female hardcore vocals. There's a lot of Slayer worship going on but the super-heavy production job sees this release separated from the thrash crowd along with those vocals. The guitar sound is closer to Swedish death metal which is really cool. If this is an example of what I can expect from a more modern stenchcore sound then you can count me in because this is a very solid release indeed. It'd sit very comfortably in The Pit.
For fans of Sacrilege, Slayer & Hellbastard.
4/5
Check this out for some wicked stenchcore action:
Axegrinder - "Grind The Filth" demo (1986)
This 28 minute demo tape is a much cruder affair than the previous couple of posts & finds this London outfit still honing their craft with a stronger Crust Punk component then a metal one. I'd still suggest that there's enough stenchcore & thrash metal on offer to warrant a dual tag but the guitar tone & lighter weight punk drumming see it leaning more on the punk side of things for the majority of the run time. It's an inconsistent release in terms of quality with two dodgy intro tracks & a gimmicky attempt at humour to close out the tracklisting. There are a few decent numbers in the middle that are worth checking out though. I'd suggest that you'd be much better served by heading straight for Axegrinder's debut album "The Rise of the Serpent Men" over this one though.
For fans of Amebix, Hellbastard & Deviated Instinct.
3/5
Here's one last stenchcore outing for ya:
So this concludes my Stenchcore deep dive. It's been an interesting journey that had its ups & downs. Here are my findings:
* Of the thirteen releases in the sample group I only found one that I'd suggest wasn't metal enough to qualify for Metal Academy.
* I found that I could identify the Stenchcore sound but definitely think it's more of a hybrid of two other sounds than it is a legitimate genre in its own right. It's similar to deathgrind in that way. Even its parent genre Crust Punk isn't very well defined as the lines between hardcore punk, anarcho-punk, stenchcore, thrashcore & crossover thrash are extremely blurry at times. I tend to think of Crust Punk as very dirty hardcore with a metal edge whereas Stenchcore pushes that metal edge far enough to warrant a dual tag between punk & metal. But why isn't it crossover thrash when the majority of the metal influence comes from thrash? Well.... it simply doesn't have the same sound as crossover as its much dirtier & draws its influence more from Hellhammer than Metallica.
* Of the thirteen releases in the sample group I found only six of them to truly warrant a Stenchcore primary genre tag.
* Of the releases with a death metal component, only one really had anything to do with Stenchcore & that had an even stronger thrash metal component.
* The results pointed to The Pit being the only logical home for Stenchcore if it was to reside in the Metal Academy database.
Ben & I will review the results at some stage today & make an informed decision on whether to include Stenchcore in the Metal Academy database or not. Stay tuned.
OK, so Ben & I have discussed it & we're going to add Stenchcore to The Pit, mainly for ease of use in adding releases to the database given that a lot of these releases don't have any other metal-related primary tags on other sites & because most of these releases (although clearly best fitted to The Pit from the study group I've conducted above) wouldn't sit comfortably under Crossover Thrash or Thrash Metal tags. It's great to be able to reach an informed decision that fits in with the philosophy of the Metal Academy clan arrangement so it was a worthwhile exercise in the end.