Pungent Stench – Praise the Names of the Musical Assassins [Compilation]

And here it is, the final chapter of Pungent Stench! The band that was always provocative is at it again on this CD. Their last two releases, ‘Dirty Rhymes and Psychotronic Beats’ and ‘”Club Mondo Bizarre” – For Members Only’, weren’t my favorites but they were still undeniably Pungent Stench.

The CD booklet spans 24 (!) pages and there are 19 tracks totaling a whopping 69:13 minutes. That’s value for money. So, what’s on it?

The tracks from their split LP with Disharmonic Orchestra (5 tracks), compilation tracks (6 tracks), their ‘Extreme deformity’ EP (3 tracks) and their 1988 rehearsal demo “Mucous secretions”. Now that’s a treat! Oh yeah, 4 tracks are included twice but due to the different productions (the tracks from their ’88 demo were recorded with a ghetto blaster in the middle of their rehearsal room) it’s hardly noticeable. The tracks ‘Extreme deformity’, ‘Pungent Stench’ and ‘Embalmed in sulphuric acid’ can be found on their ‘For God Your Soul… for Me Your Flesh’ debut album and will already found its way by most Pungent Stench fans. The track ‘Madcatmachopsychoromantik’ deserves a special mention: the first 2 minutes sound like Nick Cave, then it becomes very Pungent Stench with German lyrics, marching music and more. This track is around 9 minutes long and really stands out from the rest.

Luckily for me, all the tracks except for ‘Madcatmachopsychoromantik’ are in their old style, i.e. in the style of their ‘For God Your Soul… for Me Your Flesh’ and their “Been Caught Buttering” albums.

The CD booklet contains some complaints about their album covers and responses and it’s really hilarious. Lots of photos, all the tour dates they ever played, their discography and a letter from Markus Staiger (president of Nuclear Blast) and one from Mr. Stench (the drummer).

It’s a real shame that such an original band no longer exists and that this will be their very last album. For fans, there’s only one option: buy it. For other Death Metal fans: this is your chance to experience the essence of Pungent Stench one last time.