Death’s Old Stench can be best described as second-wave Norwegian black metal meets Swedish melodic black metal, thrown through a blender with demo-quality recording. I dug through some of Bleeding Fist’s older material and it seems that they’ve shifted somewhat from their bestial black metal roots. Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing polished about this release, and it retains a fair amount of the band’s previous filthiness. But on Death’s Old Stench the filthiness is mainly derived from the recording quality. The often melodic tremolo riffs that lurk beneath the oppressive drumming and haunting vocals call to mind Swedish masters Dissection while the overall atmosphere is reminiscent of early second-wave Norwegian bands. The album’s not a melodic black metal one, even in the most liberal usage of the term. There are plenty of darker, aggressive riffs that keep the listener on his toes, always awaiting the next deluge of harsh tremolo riffs. It’s a pretty cool combination and the album has a high level of quality throughout, with some truly killer cuts like “Brotherhood of Chaos and Death,” and the confusingly titled “Tweens of Darkness and Evil,” which I can only assume is about 11 and 12 year olds killing, looting, and raping in the name of Satan.

What really surprised me about Death’s Old Stench aside from the music is how much care went into crafting the album as a studio release. It’s not just a compilation of unreleased material, haphazardly thrown together for a cash grab. No, the band put a lot of effort into making sure the compilation works as a studio album and it shows. From what I’ve heard of the band’s earlier material, I definitely prefer the material on Death’s Old Stench. It’s a significant step up from the earlier material in terms of songwriting, so it bodes well for the band’s upcoming album.

As an introduction to Bleeding Fist, Death’s Old Stench works wonderfully. It’s an impressive piece of black metal that falls perfectly between derivative and too off-the-wall. It takes after genre greats without being one of the dime-a-dozen black metal albums that are all too common these days. This is one release that all black metal fans should enjoy, and it leaves the listener thirsting for more. Because this is something of a departure from the band’s previous style, we’ll just have to wait for their second full-length. Bleeding Fist is definitely a band to keep your eye on, and Death’s Old Stench is something you should get your hands on ASAP.