Pungent Stench | Mucous Secretion | Hammerheart Records

 

    Pungent Stench formed in Vienna, Austria, in 1988. From the beginning, they were unlike most bands in the underground death metal scene. Their music was aggressive and raw but always carried a twisted sense of humor and a unique character. They blended horror, absurdity, and brutal sound into something that stood apart from their peers. Over time, they became known for a dirty, grooving death metal style that drew influence from gore, grind, punk, and doom.

The early days of Pungent Stench were shaped by intense rehearsals and rough demo sessions, leading to cult status in Europe and beyond. Founding members Alex Wank (drums), Martin Schirenc (guitars, vocals), and Jacek Perkowski (bass) formed a unit of disgust that operated outside of trends, focused on extreme sound and visual shock value.

Originally recorded in 1988 using a ghetto blaster during rehearsals, “Mucous Secretion” is an unfiltered view into the chaotic origins of Pungent Stench. The rawness of the demo is extreme, even by old-school standards. It's harsh, primitive, and unprocessed—exactly how underground death metal often sounded before studios and labels shaped the genre's more familiar sound.

Hammerheart Records' 2025 reissue presents the original five-track demo along with six bonus tracks from a rehearsal session on April 10th, 1988. Among them are the previously unreleased "Melted Corpse" and a cover of Slaughter’s “Strappado/Incinerator”. This adds historical value, offering a wider glimpse into the early mentality and approach of the band.

The audio is not refined, and that’s the point. The guitars buzz like saws, the drums hammer erratically, and the vocals are low and indecipherable. The sound is hostile and ugly, giving a real sense of what it was like to be in the room with them at the time.

The songs are fast, crude, and often short. There’s a feeling of uncontrolled aggression, with riffs flying by and structures collapsing as quickly as they form. This demo isn’t meant to impress with precision—it reflects the intensity and abandon of a band of young musicians diving deep into the sound of disgust.

Even in this early stage, some personality already starts to emerge. Tracks like “Pulsating Protoplasma” and “Festered Offals” hint at the grotesque themes and strange humor that would later define Pungent Stench albums in the ‘90s.

The inclusion of bonus rehearsal tracks is important, especially the unreleased "Melted Corpse." It’s slightly more developed and catches the band during a more confident moment. The Slaughter cover also shows their roots and influences clearly—raw Canadian proto-death that aligns well with what Pungent Stench was aiming for.

“Mucous Secretion” isn’t an album for casual listeners or those unfamiliar with the early death metal demo scene. It’s a dirty document of where things started—a rehearsal caught on tape, released for those who want to understand the full picture of Pungent Stench’s evolution.

This is one for fans of extreme beginnings—fans of Repulsion, Autopsy, or Impetigo will understand the charm. It’s crude, chaotic, and absolutely sincere. The reissue offers value through the restored audio, the added tracks, and the archival presentation.

Score: 7.8