Review by Sonny for Stenched - Purulence Gushing From the Coffin (2024)

Stenched is a death metal solo project of Adrain Thule from Mexico who also plays grindcore as Impending Rot. Stenched, as you can perhaps deduce from the name, plays a style of cavernous death metal that is very much a throwback to the old-school. The gurgling vocals are pitched so low as to be almost inaudible, and are very laid back, being almost spoken rather than sung so lethargically are they delivered, reminding me a bit of the vocal approach on Demilich's "Nespithe".

The riffs are generally restricted to medium-paced chugs with the occasional quicker burst or slower crawl and the guitar sound involves a fair bit of distortion. There is little by way of soloing as such, but Thule's leadwork contains a certain degree of dissonance, without really committing fully to that direction of travel, so works more to add a layer of unease to the overall vibe. The drumming is perfectly fine and he shows himself to be more than capable behind the kit, with an efficient and unshowy style, handling sudden tempo changes just fine.

The production is probably a bit clearer than you might expect for this style of material, which feels like it would be happiest with a filthy and cavernous production job. But, to be fair, Thule seems content to allow sufficient clarity that he can't hide behind muddy production and so is willing to be judged on his ability to musically create that old-school atmosphere so beloved of many a death metal fan (like myself). To this end he does a commendable job and does serve up a filthy-sounding album, based on the foetid vocals and hulking, mouldering riffs rather than studio knob-twiddling and effects.