Hailing from Sweden and with a name like Fetus Stench, you’d be forgiven for thinking that the debut full length album from this death metal act was of the old school, Stockholm-y kind. However, rather than dust off some old Entombed riffs and go for the obvious sound, Fetus Stench go for a different influence by way of US death like like Cannibal Corpse, Malevolent Creation and such.

Also, with current Blood Red Throne drummer, Emil Wiksten in their ranks, that also give you some basis for Fetus Stench’s sound and while it’s a energetic, tight and deftly played listen, it fails to really grab me or be anything other than a solid slab of US styled death metal.Of course, this type of no frills death metal has its time and place, and I’m perfectly content to listen to Stillborn should it randomly play on my Ipod, but I’m never actively craving it. Much like this years efforts from Deadborn, Fisthammer, Marasmus , Deserted Fear and such, it’s just competent but run of the mill, intense death metal, nothing more, nothing less.

Wiksten certainly has a presence behind  kit, the production is full and clear, the riffs are razor sharp and vocals of Bjorte are a solid, throaty almost thrashy mid range growl making all the elements of death metal here in spades. But there’s nothing that makes Fetus Stench stand out. The songs both structurally and thematically are all culled from Cannibal Corpse with the likes of “Meat Grinder Flesh Obliteration”, “Severe Suffering”, “Bashed, Defaced and Disfigured”  and “By Butchery Divorced” all blasting and grooving by with B movie stylings and a well delivered American tone.  A few squeal-y solos and a couple of slower marches break up the pummeling, but they are nothing too memorable.

In all, a competent if disposable Floridian styled death metal album that does everything it sets out to, but nothing more.

[Visit the band's website]

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