Stench is Nekgrogoblikon's second album and it's a true testament to innovation and how good independent music can be. They come from California, U.S. and play there self dubbed "goblin metal" (symphonic death metal). At times it even has a folk feel the way keyboarding comes alive. The most positive thing about the band is that they very rarely get boring as they are always trying new and different things. This album is like a really great cookie recipe (oatmeal chocolate chip). I love how the vocals come alive with the technical riffing and how the keyboarding gives the tracks a very epic feel. There are no breaks or pauses, it's straight and to the point so there's no hindering of the tempo. My favourite track is "Goblin Box" which isn't really a surprise considering the awesome keyboard backdrop it's on is a little similar to my favourite genres' style of play.
If your feeling apprehensive about getting this because of the first album, (thus was my predicament) take a listen to the bandcamp. I wasn't a huge fan of the first album because whenever I tried to get into it, the lyrics and rhythm felt all over the place. It was clear at the time that they were embracing the "goblin" theme which was fine, but to me it just came off as a joke (not a good one either). Metal bands need to walk a fine line in the respect that coming off as a joke or as pretentious can deeply affect the music. I was actually tempted to shell out money for this on the bandcamp but cooler heads prevailed and I waited patiently for a nice V0. A solid 9/10 and very sweet album from these indie metalheads. \m/
