Pulverin - II [Bloodshed666 Records 026]

Put out on the circuit via the Austrian label that is Bloodshed666 Records as a limited edition run of 300 vinyl copies on May 1st, 2k25 is "II", the second - duh! - full length album release cooked up by Otto Horvath and Daniel Schatz under their shared sonic nom de guerre Pulverin - a project described as an outfit for an '...eclectic, sophisticated form of contemporary hard dance musc, garnished with hypnotic horns and complex polyrhythms...' in the accompanying press sheet. With this description in mind we see the duo, occasionally supported by the likes of Rieko Okuda, Teresa Riemann and Antti Virtaranta, provide a fascinatingly decaying amalgamation of DarkJazz, Illbient, slightly Morricone'esque melodies, brooding basslines and otherworldly vocals with the opening tune named "Fetter Löwe" only to follow up with the fever'ish whirlwind of "Masina Place" which seems to draw inspiration from Blues, Mardi Grass and wildly ecstatic electro-voodoo rituals executed on the dancefloor and therefore needs to end up in a Tarantino-score at some point whereas "Blad Dracula" gets as creepy and nocturnal as its name suggests in its fusion of mind-numbing hyperminimalist Illbient, indecipherable whispers and fading echoes of FreeJazz improvisations alongside claustrophobic atmospheres and raw, spine-tingling bass pulses emerging from subsurface vaults. Furthermore we see "Write Wrong" catering a menu of sluggish, Noize-infused Dope Beats, a dramatic piano hook and deep, almost Industrial- x Goth- x Neue Deutsche Todeskunst-like despair before Pulverin enter full-on Hardcore Industrial x Rhythm Industrial madness mode with the introduction of "Octopus Woman" whilst "The Walt" brings forth influences of NoisePunk and probably even echoes of Psychobilly, wildly spiralling brass instruments, destructive feedbacks, a maelstrom of electric guitars and, once again, heavy Illbient x Chemical Beats for those who still remember the absolute havoc wreaked on dancefloors by acts like 16-17 Soundsystem and the likes of. This IS intense!

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