Death metal need not be flashy to impress me. Or really to even get my attention. All it needs is some sicko riffs, sewer grooves, and percussion that could raise the dead. Check, check, and check for Pustulant Flesh on their debut EP Gurgling Pustulence. At this point in the caveman death metal game, one look at the album cover and mostly all is revealed. It’s a matter of what’s bubbling just under the surface that will be the winner or…runner up since, for me, there’s no real loser in this game.

Admittedly the band name, album name, and cover art got me lock, stock, and barrel. That cover art really pops, by the way. Make sure you view it somewhere that puts emphasis on high resolution images…aka your phone or whatever. Anyway, the band has been through other morbid death metal names since forming in 2022 and seemingly have settled on the current one to carry forth the torch of stench and it truly fits the best so there’s that. Armed with one super quick EP, Beyond Lobotomy, under their belts — and I do mean quick: 10 minutes tops —  the band had a bit to prove and left a little to be desired. It was rough and tumble around the edges and was devoid of any sort of artistic / musical separation to latch onto. Were the bones of some deathgrind there? Absolutely. But, the songwriting lacked personality and the sound was hazy with an overpowering low end. Bad? No. Not hardly. But definitely a learning moment, so it seems. 

And learn they did! What a difference. On Gurgling Pustulence we’ve got seven tracks of deathgrinddoomhorror that sounds as clear as full sun seen through an open eye socket and shiny as a new knife blade. This is most evident in the massive onslaught of “March of the Ravenous Dead” where the blastbeats and bass are there to carry the song in lieu of overpower it. And man what an onslaught this thing is. With a neck snappin’ groovy intro that saunters into a meat grinder of riffs and cavernous barks, the guys have officially graduated into catchy as hell songwriters! “Dødsangst” whips the guitars into a fuzzball of deadite energy while “Carrion Offspring” curb stomps its way into some ferocious and straight forward death metal melodies. The closing title track is the swan song here though. Five minutes and change of every groove, chunky riff, blast, growl, and zombie-guts-inside-the-drums good shit the band could muster to truly show off how far they’ve come. 

It’s a shame this is only an EP because it sure seems they were onto something here that easily could’ve tacked on another 10 minutes or so. But, holy maggots these dudes have come a loooong way in a very short time. This is super catchy death metal that grinds, stomps, and lumbers its way right into the next 28 whatevers Later. No, it’s nothing new or inventive or vastly different from some of its peers but it is incredibly well done. I’ve taken this 20 minute journey so many times now that my veins are flowing soilent green. Sometimes a blast of something familiar but just well done is exactly what the doctor ordered and the filth and slime all over this thing is nothing short of a fantastic ride. And, as I’ve already said, the production here is head and shoulders above their last effort so score another point. Definitely backing this group and, if you’re reading this, you should too.

— Josh

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Gurgling Pustulence will be available August 8 on Extremely Rotten Productions. For more information on Pustulant Flesh, visit their Facebook and Instagram pages.