![](https://metalitalia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/CARDIAC-ARREST-The-Stench-of-Eternity-2024-500x500.jpeg)
![](https://metalitalia.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/CARDIAC-ARREST-The-Stench-of-Eternity-2024-500x500.jpeg)
vote
6.5
- Bands:
CARDIAC ARREST - Duration: 00:48:13
- Available from: 05/17/2024
- Label:
-
Hells Headbangers
Streaming not yet available
Cardiac Arrest return with a new album and, for our part, we find ourselves experiencing a feeling between comfort and pure déjà vu. Comfort because such ignorance – obviously starting from the name of the group – and such ostentatious loyalty to the death metal cause always make us smile, déjà vu because, all things considered, the formulas that the Americans rely on are always in the long run the same ones, so much so that “The Stench of Eternity” ends up offering us exactly what we expect from them: raw and direct death metal, with one foot planted in stylistic elements so old school that sometimes they even smack of eighties proto-death metal and the 'another place closer to equally primitive death-doom environments. Therefore, one should not expect that this album will shake the foundations of the genre or that the band will show a unique touch, more melodic roundness or a marked emotional depth: it is simply a work that adapts perfectly to the now classic style of the Chicago group.
The rapid opener “Maggotbrain” immediately drags you into the usual vortex of ignorance, re-proposing well-known themes with the usual barbaric and brazen attitude typical of the quartet, who as always seems to be particularly angry with various posers and charlatans who infest the scene. The following “Victims to the Blasphemy” then stands out for a showy 'homage' to “Hell Awaits”, with the legendary incipit of Slayer's masterpiece practically transplanted into the middle of the song.
The album's production is raw and no-frills, just as you'd expect from a band like Cardiac Arrest. While maintaining an undoubted underlying clarity, there is nothing polished here, just the pure sound of a reality that evidently enjoys appearing crass and extremist.
Beyond this obvious passion, there are moments where the album falters slightly, especially where it feels like the band is trying to add a touch of melody or a more solemn edge to the mix. Certain doom ambitions work if well dosed, while it should be noted that a very long track like “From Civilized to Sadistic” loses bite and meaning after a few minutes, given that the group does not seem to possess the talent and ideas to manage a real suite.
Beyond certain slightly redundant parentheses, “The Stench of Eternity” confirms itself as a typical Cardiac Arrest album, where the influences of compatriots such as Master and Cianide are evident and where the best is achieved when the quartet opts for a more compact, sharp and even vaguely punk in attitude. It will be enough for those who have a great weakness for certain particularly essential death metal sounds, while for everyone else it will perhaps be the case to move on, although it should also be remembered that this type of proposal always gains something in the live context.
Daniel D`Amico for SANREMO.FM