Splattered and sawn apart on ancient linoleum ’til only a gore-wetted pile remains Copenhagen, Denmark-based quartet PUSTULANT FLESH begin hungrily gnawing open the contents of their own intestines, feasting on repugnance and brutality per this latest EP. A cannibalistic ramping beyond a bedroom deathgrind tape unto more practical, moshable space ‘Gurgling Pustulence‘ attempts to blend modern instances of ‘old school’ death metal chunder into ye olde mid-90’s gore n’ roll obsession. In the process of sorting out this fusion the pace cannot help but drag and certain tropes are impossible to avoid as they make a decent showing of a pretty damned straight forward idea.

Pustulant Flesh formed as a trio circa 2022 under the name… I think Fetus Deletus (?) but soon changed it to Putrid Abortion before finding that one was taken… Under this new name they’d released a demo (‘Beyond Lobotomy‘, 2023) which’d been an entirely different beast compared to their expanded sound on ‘Gurgling Pustulence‘. Heavy use of samples alongside a few bad Pantera riffs (“Necrophile”) read to me as a pretty typical deal, some kind of bedroom goregrind with a farty homebrewed sound and what appeared to be programmed drums rattling beneath. Chafing as their introduction was they were obviously fans of ‘old school’ styled goregrind and death metal in combination with catchier post-Carcass riffs providing the hooks worth returning for. The aesthetic/sound of it all made sense in a death n’ roll meets ‘Rhapsodies of Red‘ kind of way sans any notable guitar interest.

At least one or two songs found on that EP also feature here on this slightly longer ~20 minute EP as Pustulant Flesh open the record with brand new versions of “Beyond Lobotomy” and “Cadaver Creation” wherein each are given hardcorish death metal treatment and generally refined sound/composition. Those songs are noticeably primitive compared to the four new songs that feature on ‘Gurgling Pustulence‘ as we find a sharper vision of that same formula. “March of the Ravenous Dead” finds a happy medium where mosh-death riffs and some brutal posturing give way to a swinging death n’ roll wind-up which kicks through the second half, this is basically what the quartet does best. Their work generally comes kinda slow and sleepy for my own taste, lacking the immediacy of grindcore in favor of slugged sample-chewing battery and riffs tuned to mud. Best example of this is “Dødsangst” a song which should be a head twister considering where it starts out but the full effect ends up making two minutes feel like five as it rolls out.

“Carrion Offspring” is another fine enough example of how the band’s sound has evolved beyond their first release as Pustulant Flesh‘s guitarists push for a higher riff count while still representing both goregrind change-ups and mid-paced chug death in oscillation. I dunno if the song is anything to jump out of your skin over but this is where I’d felt the riffs were the most locked in in terms of rhythms carrying the thread beyond where they’d started on ‘Beyond Lobotomy‘. Otherwise closer/title track “Gurgling Pustulence” is the main event here pulling us back into some mid-90’s Swedeath grooves or at least a sort of Necrony/General Surgery level of intensity applied. Things just barely rise to simmering interest as the EP closes but the general idea these folks have is interesting in combination of revisionist quasi-‘old school’ style death metal and some generalized 90’s goregrind temperament. What the experience lacks is density of action, any form of mean-assed attack.

For my own taste the riffs are barely there yet on ‘Gurgling Pustulence‘ and the songs that do manage some impact here are generally formulaic, lacking in both energy and any sort of inventive hand. While (again) the band’s general idea carries water and this EP does generally iterate with a more accomplished hand I’d found Pustulant Flesh make a sorta sleepy, typical step into the arena with this one. A moderate recommendation.

---