Album Review: Stench of Sorcery – The Palegold Menace

Band: Stench of Sorcery
Title: The Palegold Menace
Label: Independent
Release date: April 13th, 2026
Country: Spain
Format reviewed: High-Quality Digital Recording

#AlbumReview: Stench of Sorcery – The Palegold Menace by Sílvia

“The Palegold Menace” is the first full-length album released by Stench of Sorcery, after two EPs that saw the light in the previous two years. And also, first album with a complete lineup, ‘cause in the mentioned EPs was Jaume Roca doing it all himself (playing all instruments, doing vocals). In this album, he counts on Gerard Busquets as guitar player and Luís Vargas as the vocalist. The result is a brilliant death metal album, old school style, highly addictive…

They define their style as “Castle Metal”, and with this, you can have an idea of what their music will stand for… of course you can expect a lot of epicness all along the path.

The first thing I fell for in this album was… the riffs. Infectious, repetitive, carving their way to your brain until they live there for hours. Or, for days. Maybe forever… Those riffs with an old-school, familiar feel, as if this band was founded decades ago and this was an old album being re-released. But no, it’s new stuff; what’s obvious is the devotion these musicians have for the classics. Also the lead guitar does a fantastic job, playing some brilliant solos.

I’m also mesmerized by the vocal work. The low and deep growls by Vargas are a big standout, his voice turns into some fierce roars at times, which is perfect for an old-school-worshipping-album like this one.

The bass sounds spectacular in all the tracks, you hear clearly its low rumble, like in “Here in the Dark” and the intro of “Grudgeborn …” (the closing theme). This instrument has a lot of relevance, and I’m always going nuts when this happens. Drums are solid and deliver a consistent and varied repertoire of beats. I see some extra devotion for cymbals (“Fear Facer”, “The Stench of Sorcery”) and I really like that. And let me highlight the brilliant drum work in “Superstition 33: Eternal Demand”, where the entire arsenal is unleashed.

The lyrics and the conceptual idea are written by Jaume Roca, he has a great imagination and the ability of putting into words his particular invented universe. This, and the special ambiance created by the music (kind of mysterious, as if a dark halo of menace enveloped everything) turns this album into an immersive experience while listening to it.

“The Palegold Menace” was mastered by Dan Swanö at Unisound Studio, and the cover art was done by Orhan Mert, a designer and comic book artist. Both are brilliant in their respective commitments, and this is why, besides the music of course, details are so important in the final product.

Now… Please don’t disturb me. I’m going to embark on this fantastic journey again, for the… don’t know which’th time. The door is open, so you can join… 9,5/10

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9,5/10 Epic Storm
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