Review by JD on September 26, 2008.

Upon seeing the unusual moniker this band had tagged themselves with, I was instantly intrigued to say the least. I was looking so forward to hearing what this Swedish Death/Grind act was going to be offering up in the way of their music... the name seemed so promising and the cover art was amazingly cool and macabre as all hell as well.... then I made the mistake of sitting down to listen to it.

The first thing that struck me was Stench of Flesh was not recorded very well. To say the truth, it actually sounded really horrible in some spots. The production that is throughout this opus really makes it all feel rather weighted down.. hiding the fact that this band is trying so hard to be better than just a, generic Death Metal act which are beginning to glut the metal underground. There is no new ground broken here... and that is perhaps the saddest thing..

Wading through the mud and mire of this literally flawed project... all I got out of it was regurgitated riffs and basic ideas that others are already spitting out... all of which seemed to be played by people that who were trying very hard, despite whoever was in the control room. That is where I give Splattered Mermaids a whole lot of credit though... it is clear that they do push themselves to play as good as they can, but they are seemingly lacking some real direction to any of it. Good news is that alone holds a great amount of hope for the band in the future. Maturity will help that out in time.

It is worth a listen or two perhaps, but if your looking for something a little different in your Death metal... this CD is probably not for you, but keep an eye on them... this might change as they mature musically.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 7
Atmosphere: 5
Production: 4
Originality:4
Overall: 5

Rating: 5.0