Stenchrar: Nekrogoblikon
To understand Nekrogoblikon Stenchrar, you have to rewind to 2009. Two years prior, the band had released their debut album, Goblin Island, a raw, black-metal-infused folk romp recorded on a shoestring budget. But it was the follow-up EP, simply titled Stench, that introduced the track "Stenchrar."
While Goblin Island was an adventure, Stench was a swamp. The EP was recorded live in a practice space with a single microphone, intentionally pushing the limits of lo-fi aesthetics. "Stenchrar" was the title track’s evil twin—a deep cut that never made it to streaming services for nearly a decade. The portmanteau "Stenchrar" combines "Stench" (the EP's theme) and "Rar" (a goblin war cry or a reference to "rare").
In 2012, when the band signed to Mystery Box Records, they re-released Stench digitally. That was the first time most modern fans encountered Nekrogoblikon Stenchrar. The track was immediately divisive. Fans expecting the melodic death metal of Power (2015) were instead greeted with what sounded like a garden hose being throttled by a troll.
What surprises most first-time listeners is the legitimate musical talent on display. Stench is not a comedy album; it is a ferociously tight melodic death metal record.
Drawing comparisons to heavyweights like Children of Bodom and early In Flames, the guitar work by Alex Alulis and Tim Lyakhov is razor-sharp. The riffs are fast, the solos are neo-classical flourishes of brilliance, and the rhythm section drives the songs forward with a punk-rock urgency. nekrogoblikon stenchrar
Vocalist Nicky Calonne showcases an impressive range. He seamlessly transitions from guttural growls and high-pitched shrieks to surprising melodic cleans. This variety keeps the album dynamic; you aren't just hearing blast beats for forty minutes, you are listening to fully composed songs with verses and choruses that get stuck in your head for days.
Nekrogoblikon have always used vivid, cartoonish imagery centered on their goblin mascot. Stenchrar’s artwork amplifies this: grotesque but colorful, mixing fantasy grime with a slightly satirical horror vibe. Visual themes extend into music videos and merch—often cinematic mini-stories that pair well with the band’s campy performance style. The visual identity supports the music by signaling both comedy and seriousness in equal measure.
If you've ever wondered what it would sound like if a goblin raided a brewery, hijacked a stage, and decided to write a melodic death metal album, the answer is Nekrogoblikon. And if you want to know where the band truly solidified their chaotic, catchy, and bizarre identity, look no further than their 2011 breakout record: Stench.
While the band has since released incredible follow-ups like Heavy Meta and Welcome to Bonkers, Stench remains a cult classic that demands a revisit. It is the moment the band stopped being a novelty act and proved they could shred with the best of them. To understand Nekrogoblikon Stenchrar , you have to
Here is why Stench is an essential listen for any metalhead looking for something fresh, frantic, and undeniably fun.
On the surface, obsessing over a made-up goblin war cry seems like a joke. And it is. But within that joke lies the genius of Nekrogoblikon. The Stenchrar is a rejection of metal’s frequent self-seriousness.
Where other bands sing of cosmic despair or Satanic rituals, Nekrogoblikon asks: What if the apocalypse smelled like a damp basement and sounded like a hiccup?
The Stenchrar represents authentic absurdity. It is a deliberate artistic choice to find the sublime in the scatological. By creating a detailed, consistent lore around a gross sound, the band invites fans to participate in a world where nothing is sacred, everything is silly, and the heaviest moments are punctuated by a fart joke. It is metal’s answer to Monty Python—lowbrow, high-concept, and infinitely rewatchable. The song structure is deceptively simple: Verse, Wall
As of 2025, Nekrogoblikon continues to tour and write. Following the departure of longtime vocalist Nicky Calonne in 2023 and the introduction of new frontman Dickie Allen (of Infant Annihilator fame), fans have wondered: Will the Stenchrar survive?
Early live footage suggests yes, but with a twist. Allen’s vocal range—capable of inhuman gutturals and stratospheric shrieks—has added a new layer to the Stenchrar. The “rar” is now deeper, more cavernous, almost Lovecraftian. Meanwhile, John Goblikon has hinted on social media that the upcoming album (tentatively titled Goblin 2: Even Goblin-er) will feature a track simply called “Stenchrar Supreme,” which he claims is “seven minutes of pure olfactory devastation.”
Let’s be blunt: Nekrogoblikon Stenchrar is not for the faint of heart or the clean of ear. Where later albums feature pristine guitar tones from Tim Lyakhovetskiy and Aaron Minich, "Stenchrar" sounds like it was recorded inside a dumpster behind a mead hall.
The song structure is deceptively simple: Verse, Wall of Noise, Scream, Wall of Noise, Outro. There are no guitar solos. There are no keyboard interludes. It is a blunt-force trauma of grime.